


Little Tiger

by WanderingTheRailroads



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Aged Up, F/F, Gay Character, Gen, Implied Relationships, Lesbian Character, M/M, Minor Original Character(s), Older Woman/Younger Woman, One-Sided Attraction, Post-Canon, Self-Doubt, Sexual Confusion, Sexuality Crisis, Sibling Bonding, Sibling Rivalry, Slice of Life, Wet Dream, Worry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-22
Updated: 2020-01-10
Packaged: 2020-05-16 06:38:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 20,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19312666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WanderingTheRailroads/pseuds/WanderingTheRailroads
Summary: "Can I really pull it off?", Akane Yamamoto asks herself, suddenly thrust into the limelight of a managerial debut at Nekoma High's Volleyball Club.Amidst the tangle of her insecurities, duties, and coping with highschool life, Alisa Haiba's sudden return after three years abroad throws Akane's life into spectacular disarray and makes her question everything she thought was set in stone.





	1. The Little Tiger's Glorious, Awe-Inspiring Debut

**Author's Note:**

> P.S: I moved a scene from the intro of Chapter 2 to the end of Chapter 1, so in case you haven't read Ch2 yet, read the last bit of Ch1 first.
> 
> So, uh...it's an Akane/Alisa fic, yay! 
> 
> I love this pairing, and wanted more fics of them, so I decided to write my own. 
> 
> Enjoy :)
> 
> Feel free to leave a comment (or comments!) at the bottom!

The stadium is packed to the brim, spectators filling the seats as far as Akane can see, a sea of cheering and jeering voices illuminated by harsh white light.

Down on the court below, the crowd's attention is captured by the volleyball players in their red and black and green and white jerseys, dashing about the court. A scoreboard, illuminated in bright neon red, shouts 21-22 in a voice only she can hear, high-pitched and mocking.

The players scramble back and forth, exchanging blows and blocking serves, but the red and blacks seem to be falling behind, ceding one point after another to their enemies.

Now the green and whites are serving again, and now Akane watches with terrified fascination, as the red and blacks scramble to parry the powerful blow. The ball flies towards their side of the court, every eye in the stadium fixed on them. They reach out for it, stretching their hands to the sky. Just a little more distance. Just a little more. Please.

They miss, the ball brushing past their fingers.

It lands, sealing their fate.

As the ball strikes the ground, the crowd howls, erupting in a roar like ten million buzzing bees trapped in a car horn, growing louder and louder with each passing moment.

Akane feels a painful throbbing in her head.

She just wants to run, far, far away from all this, but her feet won’t let her move. The stadium’s floodlights swell ever brighter, and she closes her eyes and covers her ears to no avail, as it all rushes in, overwhelming her.

Suddenly, she feels a pair of slender arms wrap around her, and a familiar, cheerful voice calls out _Akane,_ telling her she’s done her best.

She jolts awake on her bed, flailing wildly and knocking her pillow off. Akane rubs her sleep-addled eyes as she gropes about for the alarm clock, the honking noise still resounding in her ears when she finally opens her eyes.

8:15am.

_Oh crap._

Suddenly awake, the pint-sized girl tears her room curtains open and peers out. On the street below, a battered gray truck is honking its horn insistently like some demented musician.

Akane flings herself off the bed, discarding her loose pyjamas in a heap as she charges into the bathroom. Barely a minute passes before she emerges once more, the corners of her mouth flecked with toothpaste. Throwing on her school uniform, Akane steals a quick glance in the mirror, ties her unruly brown mop of hair into a ponytail, and stomps down the stairs.

With a jaunt into the kitchen, she finds food, detouring to grab a piece of toast with strawberry jam smeared on it. It hangs limp from her mouth as she locks the front door and makes a run for the old truck.

“Sorry, overslept”, she says as she enters, slamming the door with one hand while the other holds the remnants of her toast.

“Oi. Don’t slam my truck door”, growls her brother as he gazes in the rearview mirror, smoothing down a stubborn lock of bleached blonde hair.

“The handle’s already broken, though.” Akane twists the door handle to make a point, the knob coming off in her hand as she yanks it.

“Yeah, so don’t make it worse, idiot”, Taketora grunts in disapproval, ruffling his sister’s hair roughly. Her protests last all of a few seconds, to no avail, as he turns her fluffy hair even more moplike than it already was.

 _Older brother privileges_ , as he often says, no matter how old his sister gets. Maybe he’ll still be messing with her hair when she’s a hunchbacked old lady, the mental image making Akane giggle.

“What’s so funny?” he asks, turning to her as the truck rolls downhill, ominous rattles and knocks emanating from somewhere deep within its bowels. She shudders involuntarily, remembering the time they got stuck on a deserted road at night, with imaginary ghosts and demons lurking behind every tree. Reaching the bottom of the slope, Taketora abruptly turns the wheel, swinging the truck left around a corner and nearly hitting a stray dog. He swerves to avoid it, startling an old woman on the sidewalk who curses him out.

“Oh, nothing.” Akane grins and reaches up to squeeze his broad shoulder, chiding him. “Hey, be careful. I don’t want to die at 17.”

“Don’t worry, you won’t. I’m the best driver around here!”, he boasts, beating his chest.

She rolls her eyes at his remark and retorts, “Like how you’re the best coach ever, right?”

“Well, I am”, Taketora says matter-of-factly without a hint of modesty. “And you’re gonna be the best manager too.”

“I’m not sure about that.” Suddenly self-conscious, she stares at her black shoes, hoping to find some encouragement. But of course, shoes can’t talk, unlike cool older brothers. Not that Taketora is cool or anything, of course not.  “I mean, you know I love volleyball.”

He nods at her remark, no doubt remembering all the times she was there to cheer him and the squad on, always diligent in taking notes and analyzing both teams, always eager to be of any help.

“Being a manager’s like a dream come true. It’s just…ugh, I don’t know…”

Akane sighs, her words trailing off into silence. She slumps back in her seat, gazing out at the streets and buildings flying past, road signs becoming blurs of black and yellow.

 “Oh, come on, Akane”, he says, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. “If you mope, it makes me feel bad too, y’know?”

“Sorry.”

“I know, it’s something totally new. And there’s loads of expectations.”

“Mmhm.”

“But you’re my little sis. Pretty sure you inherited at least SOME of my awesomeness…right?”

As downcast as she is, Taketora’s taunt awakens the “Yamamoto fighting spirit” her mum always talks about, and Akane clenches her fist, glaring at him with narrowed eyes like a tiger stalking its prey.

“Of course! In fact, I think I inherited more of it than you!”, she fires back cheekily, poking his cheek and making him roar with laughter.

“Hah!”

Rounding another corner, Nekoma High comes into view at last, its bone-white walls and rows of green trees lining the school’s entrance. A few students are still lingering around the gate, clearly unbothered by the teachers trying to herd them inside.

8:28am, just in time.

Taketora pulls up outside the gate, drawing stares from passing students, most choosing to give the truck a wide berth after seeing Taketora in the driver’s seat. That much hasn’t changed since his own school days, Akane notes with amusement.

“Go kick ass.” He grins and punches her lightly on the arm as she exits the truck.

 “I’ll try. See you later”, she shouts as she runs down the path.

“Love you, bye!”, calls out Taketora mockingly, making kissing noises. Akane turns back, screws up her face in disgust, and sticks her tongue out at him before disappearing into the crowd of students.

\--

“…and we hope to move forward, and change, and grow as students in this new year. Thank you.”

The tall, bespectacled student council president bows and walks off the stage, polite applause following in her wake. In the crowd, Akane claps along as well, those words echoing in her mind.

 _Change._ It’s such a terrifying word, like leaping into a swimming pool that’s too deep, or exploring a haunted house.

Or moving overseas. _Is this how Alisa felt?_

Before she can ponder those words any longer, she finds herself swept along in a tidal wave of bodies, students exiting the hall and headed for their respective classes.

 _Maybe. I’ll just have to try my best,_ Akane tells herself as she heads for the 3rd floor.

She spends the rest of her day in a whirlwind of activity, and before Akane knows it, she’s facing down her fears.

Standing before the gym doors, shouts and the thumping of rubber shoes against solid wood echo from within. Taketora’s already there, squatting outside with a soft drink can in his hand like some failed idea of a delinquent.

“You ready, sis?”

She nods, gulping hard to swallow her heart that’s almost leaping out of her throat, and pushes the door open.

Two of the boys from her year, Junichi and Ryouma, are tossing a volleyball back and forth over the net. In the corner, one of the 3rd years (whose name she can never seem to remember) is lecturing what looks to be a group of new recruits, with the remaining 3rd and 2nd years sitting beside the court taking notes.

As the siblings enter, Junichi and Ryouma turn to wave, letting the ball fall to the wayside. Masuda, an especially enthusiastic 2nd year year with long hair, runs up to her and offers a high five but backs off swiftly when Taketora glares at him. Taketora gives the entire hall a once-over, then shouts for them to assemble.

“Attention, please. I have an announcement to make”, Akane calls out, crossing her arms. All eyes are on her now, a dreadful weight hanging around her neck, but she pushes through anyway. “Starting today, I’ll be your new manager.”

After a brief, stunned silence, the players erupt in a chorus of questions and comments.

‘Eh? We’ve never had a manager before, though?’

‘Are you gonna be okay, Akane-chan?’

‘Wow, a female manager!’

‘Coach, how’s this gonna work?’

‘That’s awesome!’

She ignores their remarks and continues, “Um…I hope you’ll do your best to work with me, and with each other, to achieve glory on the court. You guys love volleyball, right? So do I. So…yeah, we’ve gotta aim for greater heights, together.”

“If you’ve got anythin’ against my sis, feel free to speak now”, Taketora says gruffly as he takes his place beside her, staring out across the herd as if daring them to confront him. Predictably, none of the players pipe up.

“Thanks for the support, Coach.” Akane turns to her brother and fistbumps him, but Taketora’s demeanour turns sullen.

 He grumbles under his breath, “Oi. I told you already, just call me onii-chan. Or maybe even bro.”

“Not in public, that’s creepy”, she retorts, grimacing in distaste. All the while, the players are watching this family drama unfold, some with rather horrified and curious expressions on their face.

“Oh, so I’m creepy now, am I?” He glares at her, hands on his hips as they continue arguing.  

Trying to restore order, one particularly bold -or foolhardy, she later muses- 1st year player stands up, stepping forward to break up the fight. “Now, now, don’t fight, you two. Manager Akane’s right, I think”, he admonishes.

Silence.

Unexpectedly, they both turn and glare at him, two tigers staring down a lamb as though saying, ‘Don’t interfere with our battle’. The “lamb” reels back in shock, seemingly shrinking smaller under their withering gaze as he beats a hasty retreat to where he sat a moment ago. Masuda gives him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder but can’t help cracking an amused smile, already familiar with the Yamamoto duo’s legendary battles.

In the end, they’re siblings after all.

\--

“Alright, moving on…”, Akane calls out, having finally reached a ceasefire with Taketora, who’s leaning against a wall looking defeated. “Roll call time, guys. State your name, position, and year, starting from the left.”

“What for?”, asks one of the 1st years impertinently, raising his hand.

“Well, some of you are new, right? It’s a good way to introduce yourselves to the rest, and to me”, she intones sternly, with a powerful voice unfitting of someone her stature. No surprise there, coming from Nekoma’s main volleyball cheerleader.

“Masuda, you first”, she says, pointing to him.

“Hiroomi Masuda, wing spiker, 2nd year.”

“Oima Yoshihiro, middle blocker, 1st year.”

“Junichi Kondo, middle blocker, 2nd year.”

And so it goes, on and on for each player. As they respond, she scribbles in the margins of their attendance sheet, various notations filling the white space. At last, satisfied with her notes, Akane dismisses the assembled students to their own devices but calls for the Captain to come see her.

Taketora, meanwhile, gathers some of the players into a corner. Soon, loud groans of complaint and angry shouts echo through the gym as the underperforming players wither under his strict evaluation. Akane laughs nervously, then pulls their Captain by the hand, out of the gym.

“Akane-chan, how’re you feeling? Nervous?”, asks Yamashiro, their rather large-sized captain, as he sits beside her on a bench. She nods, relaying her fears, and he just smiles knowingly, placing a stocky hand on her back.

“Well, take it slow. I was the same when I started out”, he assures her, mimicking throwing a volleyball across some imaginary net. “Just a rookie with loads of fears.”

Akane’s eyes light up in curiosity. “Really?”

“Yup”, is all he says in reply.

“But I’ve seen you leading the team, and you’re so confident!”, she cries out in disbelief. He simply laughs, dismissing her compliment with a wave of his hand.

“Oh, no. I had a lot of doubts too. And I still do. I hide it well, don’t I?”

“I guess”, she admits.

 “Rome wasn’t built in a day, after all.” With a sweep of the hand, Yamashiro gestures to the entire school compound and its surroundings. “You know more about volleyball than some of the players, so I think you’ll do okay.”

“Rome…? What’s that mean?”

“Basically, Rome’s a big city with loads of beautiful buildings, right? Well, it takes time to build up, and-

**VROOM.**

A loud, droning roar cuts through their conversation.

Akane turns to see a dark shape hurtling towards them, tearing down the road like some demon of the apocalypse with two people astride it. The motorcycle comes closer and closer, clearly not slowing down.

One of the riders gives a shout, and Akane leaps out of the way.

As if on cue, the bike comes to a sudden halt, momentum sending it careening off towards the gym’s verandah. The shouting rider manages to jump off just in time, but the other is less lucky, tumbling to the ground along with her bike which stops just short of a pole.

Shocked, Yamashiro runs over to where the rider’s lying on the tarmac. “Are you alright?”, he asks with fear in his voice, offering a hand to the downed rider.

“I’m okay. Just a bit sore”, comes a muffled reply from within the helmet as she pulls herself up. Limping slightly, she stumbles over to her taller co-rider and pats him all over. “Lyovochka! Any injuries?”

“I’m fine, nee-san. That was dangerous, though!” In one swift motion, Lev flips up the visor of his helmet, exposing his Cheshire Cat grin for all to see.

“Sorry about that, big sis is kinda reckless”, says Lev cheekily. He jabs his thumb in Alisa’s direction, her attention now turned to the bike, checking it for any signs of damage. After a long inspection, she gives a satisfied thumbs up and removes her helmet, placing it on the now upright bike’s seat.

Amidst the commotion, the boys who were inside have gathered at the door curiously, and even Taketora’s there. For a moment, he seems to not comprehend the situation, but then Taketora spies Lev.

He freezes for a moment, then makes a sound halfway between a warcry and a laugh as he runs to greet his half-Russian junior warmly, the two lost in the own world of manly things.

But Akane’s attention is fixated elsewhere.

Alisa reaches up to untie her hair, wound tightly in a bun. Unfurling, it cascades down below her shoulders, shimmering in the late afternoon sunlight like a silvery-gray waterfall against the dark backdrop of her black leather jacket. She stretches fluidly, raising both slender arms into the air.

The younger boys, unfamiliar with Lev and captivated by Alisa, begin whispering amongst themselves about this strange, beautiful foreign girl.

Noticing the assembled crowd, Alisa’s delicate face creases in a smile, which grows even broader when she sees Akane standing there. She waves.

“Akane-chan!”, Alisa calls out, practically hopping up and down with joy.

“A-Alisa? You never said anything about coming back so soon-”

“I wanted it to be a surprise!”, comes her cheerful reply.

As Alisa draws closer, taking long strides, Akane finds herself inexplicably rooted to the spot, a million uninvited butterflies fluttering in her stomach even as she’s embraced in a warm hug.  

“Little tiger! Oh, it’s been so long. Did you miss me?”, purrs Alisa, still towering over Akane despite all the growing Akane’s done.

The scent of leather, mingling with fresh laundry and a faint hint of perfume, fills Akane’s head to bursting, and she can barely muster an answer as she looks up into those large green eyes.

\--

_Foul demon queen, I won’t let you win!_

_You think you can beat me, foolish boy?_

_I must do so, to save the world!_

_Then come, and we shall see who is stronger!_

_The knight charged at the demon queen with his sword drawn, its blade glowing with power. He struck a mighty blow, the memories flooding back-_

 

The airport was oh-so-noisy, Akane remembers.

In the sea of faces and voices, Akane felt like she was being swept away, the rope holding her anchor beginning to break. Alisa stood by a thick pane of glass that took up an entire wall outside the security checkpoint, peering out across the windswept runway as planes landed and took off, their lights twinkling like stars in the dusk.

“It’s really amazing isn’t it, Akane-chan?”, Alisa asked, pressing her face against the glass, eyes lighting up with excitement each time a plane took off. “Soon I’ll be in one of those, flying far away from here.”

At fourteen, Akane couldn't fully understand the heaviness in her heart, the ache that made her so selfish, to cling on to Alisa and say ‘No, please stay’. She had friends that moved to other towns and countries, and she was fine then, so why now of all times…?

“I’m gonna miss you”, was all Akane managed to say, amidst the airport’s din swallowing her whole.

Akane was never one to hide her emotions, and as Alisa turned back to smile gently at her, the tall girl noticed fat tears brimming in her companion’s eyes. Alisa placed a hand on Akane’s head gently, bending down to be on eye level with her, and whispered this one reassurance: “Me too, little tiger, me too. But I’ll be back soon.”

That became the leak that shattered the dam inside Akane.

Wailing, tears streamed down her face as she sobbed, held close by Alisa’s slender arms encircling her diminutive body. None of the passersby paid any attention to this common sight, but to the little tiger aged fourteen and a half, that moment was the end of the world.

-

“Ugh”, the seventeen-year-old girl groans as she sits slumped at her bedroom desk, her train of thought derailed, crashing in a ditch full of memories somewhere and killing all onboard. Akane's curly mop of long hair falls messily on her face, and she brushes a stray strand out of her eyes before grabbing the book lying open in front of her.

Akane dog-ears the last page she read, then closes it and somewhat clumsily tosses the book aside, aiming for the bed. It misses its mark and smacks the far wall with a solid THUMP before falling to the floor with pages splayed open.

“Oi, stop making noise, dumbass! It’s 11pm!”, comes the immediate, angry reply from next door, somewhat muffled by her room's thin walls. “I’ll kill you!”

“Sorry!”, she calls back half-heartedly. Her phone beeps, and she frowns slightly as she picks it up from her desk, flipping the blue clamshell lid open to reveal a single message:

 **_Wanna hang out this Sunday? We really need to catch up_ ** _. -_ **Alisa H**

Inhale deeply, exhale.

 _What’s wrong with you, Akane?_ she asks herself. _I thought you were excited about the whole volleyball thing, and Alisa returning home._

Her hand trembles as she types and deletes a multitude of messages, finally settling on sending a single word in reply: ‘Sure’.

 


	2. What is Love, Baby Don't Hurt Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akane goes shopping with Alisa, and struggles with her uncertain feelings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> P.S: I moved a scene from the intro of Chapter 2 to the end of Chapter 1, so in case you haven't read Ch2 yet, read the last bit of Ch1 first.

It’s a particularly hot Sunday, Akane notes as she sits on the worn park bench beneath a tree, idly smoothing out a wrinkle in her blouse. The sun glares down on the world with its fiery gaze, but beneath the canopy of leaves and branches, she finds shelter.

Lev sent her a message earlier, saying “Sorry, we’ll be about 10 minutes late”, so in the meantime Akane busies herself with watching the weekend crowd go past.

A mother tugs her reluctant child along, the toddler screeching and hollering the whole way.

A middle-aged couple, holding hands, walks along the lake’s shore conversing of half-remembered things.

A delinquent is squatting beneath a tree, entertaining his equally youthful girlfriend with crude jokes.

An old lady sits on the bench opposite hers, beside a young woman who could be her daughter or granddaughter.

As Akane continues her observation, a familiar voice calls out.

 

“Hey!” Akane turns to see Lev running down the footpath, waving and grinning with Alisa by his side, who’s taking more measured steps forward. Akane smiles and waves back at them, noting their impeccable fashion.

For some reason the Haibas have always been blessed to look good in any outfit regardless of the situation, a far cry from Akane’s moplike hair, and unshapely thighs that she often covers up with long pants.

 _Maybe it’s their foreign heritage_ , she ponders, as they approach her. Lev balls his hand into a fist, holding it up in front of Akane, which she reciprocates with an enthusiastic fistbump. “You look cute, Akane-chan!” Alisa cries out, as she saunters over to where Akane’s seated and fingers the fabric of Akane’s blouse sleeve, delightfully cooing over the yellow blouse and gray jeans combination that Akane doesn’t think is particularly noteworthy.

Still, Akane appreciates the compliment. “Thanks, I guess.” She pats the bench’s empty spot beside her, beckoning for them to sit down and escape the shade.

“Tora’s not coming?”, Lev asks as he sits down. The disappointment is visible in his eyes, as much as he tries to hide it.

Akane shakes her head. “Nah, sorry. He really wants to, but he’s gotta work today.”

“On a weekend?”, he intones in disbelief. A pigeon lands on the bench next to Lev, and he swipes it away, the bird flying off again to a nearby pole where it glares at him with beady eyes.

“Well, can’t be helped. They’re short on staff.” Akane throws up her hands in defeat, sighing as she remembers what her brother mentioned earlier when she tried to convince him. No sense arguing with that huge blockhead. “It’s double the pay, so hey.”

“Aw. Yaku was hoping to meet him, says he hasn’t been in touch much.”

“Speaking of Yaku...” Lev looks at his watch and frowns. “Sorry, nee-chan and Akane-chan, Gotta go meet him.” He adjusts his collar, then runs a hand through his silvery hair.

“That’s fine, dear brother. It just means I’ll get to monopolize her longer!” Alisa grabs her hand suddenly, making Akane let out a squeak, a tingle running down her spine.

Lev just laughs at her joke as strolls off down the road.

“So, uh…what do you wanna do?”, Akane asks at last when Lev disappears from view, peering up at Alisa who’s leaning back against the tree’s trunk. Alisa places a finger on her chin, brow furrowed in thought, and replies, “I don’t know. How about you decide, Akane-chan?”

For a moment, Akane ponders her answer. “Um…can we visit a sports shop?”

“Okay!”, comes Alisa’s cheerful affirmation, still holding Akane’s hand as they stand up.

\--

“So…what’re you looking for?”, Alisa asks, peering over Akane’s shoulder as Akane scans the shelves stocked high with sporting goods, an array of shoes and racquets and knee pads lining the walls.

“A volleyball. The club needs new ones”, Akane states simply, eyeing up a yellow and blue ball with the word **MIKASA** emblazoned on it. It sits just out of her reach on the top shelf, as though mocking the newly minted manager for her lack of height. Noticing Akane’s struggle, Alisa smiles in amusement and reaches up, lifting the ball off its perch with ease. Akane takes the ball, bouncing it off the floor for good measure as she feels its heft and texture. “Thanks.”

“I thought you guys had a lot in storage. Why not just use those, then?” Alisa peers curiously at the ball.

“They’re all really worn out.”

“Which affects the aerodynamics, angle of flight, and all that.”

“Yup. Wow, Alisa, I’m surprised you remember all this”, Akane exclaims, impressed by Alisa’s memory despite having been away from the volleyball scene for so long. Alisa just giggles softly, taking the opportunity to tease Akane. “You pretty much drilled it into my head back then, you know.”

Akane’s face turns crestfallen upon hearing Alisa's remark. “Sorry, I’m a volleyball nerd.”

Seeing her friend looking downcast, Alisa quickly backpedals to cheer her up. “Oh, don’t apologize. It’s your charm point.”

“T-thanks”, Akane stammers, not used to being praised for it. “So anyway”, she continues as she turns her attention to searching for knee pads, “If the boys get used to those, when it comes to a real tournament with good quality volleyballs, it gets harder to adjust.”

“Makes sense.”

\--

The city is abuzz with activity around them, people walking to and fro, barely paying attention to the tall silver-haired girl and her shorter companion. Alisa and Akane stroll past rows of bare buildings, the neon signs that once marked these places as shoplots having gone dark.

“Where to next?”, Akane asks, holding tightly to the bag containing her volleyball equipment. Alisa leads her by the hand as they weave their way through the crowded streets, buildings hemming them in like large concrete trees. “I need to buy a couple of dresses”, she replies, turning the corner onto a street with rows of beauty salons and boutiques haphazardly arranged, each signboard shouting in bright letters.

The fashion boutique smells faintly of lavender, automatic doors sliding open with a soft _whoosh_ that lets the cold air out. Akane trails behind Alisa as she enters, shivering from the sudden temperature shift.

“Hi Mrs Norio!”, Alisa cries out as she steps over the threshold, rousing the plump old lady at the front desk from her idle reading of a magazine.

Recognizing Alisa, the plump lady perks up, her face beaming. “Ali-chan! You’re home!”, she shouts, waddling out from behind the counter to nearly crush Alisa in a warm hug.

Akane decides to let them be, snatches of conversation about boyfriends and studies and travel floating to her ears as she browses a pile of jeans. After entirely too long, Mrs Norio takes notice of Akane standing there.

“Oh, who’s this little cutie?”, Mrs Norio asks, calling Akane over and giving her a quick glance from head to toe. Alisa drapes her arm over Akane’s shoulder, beaming like a proud parent. “Akane’s a friend of mine. She’s Nekoma’s new volleyball team manager.”

“I see”, the old woman says, her mouth forming a nearly perfect circle in awe. “That’s a big responsibility.”

Akane doesn’t respond, dumbstruck as she is, but merely nods her head in agreement.

_Kringgggg KRINNGGGGG KRINGGGGGGGG_

A phone is shrieking behind the counter.

Breaking away from her examination of Akane, Mrs Norio dives for the phone, answering it in one swift, practiced motion. “Good morning. Hanamatsuri Boutique, how may I help you? Oh, Shiina, it’s you! How are the grandkids doing? Really?”

With Mrs Norio now engrossed in her conversation, Alisa tugs Akane’s arm and leads her away deeper into the boutique, not wanting to disturb Mrs Norio any further.

 “That’s my mum’s ex-colleague”, Alisa states as they stroll past racks of colorful clothes, gesturing in the direction of Mrs Norio’s hermitage. “She retired and decided to open her own shop.”

Akane laughs nervously. “She’s kinda…intense.”

“I know, right? She’s like that with everyone!”

Alisa stops in front of a rack laden with dresses of various length, picking out a long green one with a flowery pattern. “Ooh, this one’s nice!”, she exclaims, holding it up in front of her body. “What do you think?”

Akane hesitates. “Um…”

“Maybe I should try it on and let you see.” Before Akane can reply, Alisa has already rushed over to the changing room. A metallic _click_ resounds as she locks the door, leaving Akane stranded outside and stewing in her own thoughts.

A moment later, or possibly an eternity, Alisa emerges in all her glory.

Like water, the long dress flows around her as she twirls, a ballerina dancing in a swirl of blooming flowers. Akane can’t help but be captivated.

“What’s wrong, Akane-chan? Does it look bad?”, she asks as Akane stares, too enraptured to answer.

 “No, no, it looks really good on you!” Snapping out of her trance, Akane blurts out a reply, then lowers her voice and mutters to herself, “But you’re always beautiful anyway.”

“Sorry, what did you say?”

“N-nothing.”

Shrugging, Alisa returns to the rack of clothes, running her finger along the dresses until she stops on one that’s light blue. “Hmm. I think this one might suit you”, she tells Akane, thrusting it into her hands.

Akane shakes her head vehemently and pushes the dress back to Alisa, staring horrified at the bright red price tag clipped to its collar. She’d have to eat instant noodles for three months to make up for it!

“Oh, don’t worry, it’s your belated birthday present”, Alisa reassures her, handing the dress to Akane once more. “Go on, try it”, she says when Akane falters momentarily.

Five minutes later, Akane hesitantly pokes her head out from the dressing room, looking around nervously to see if anyone else is watching. Seeing only Alisa, Akane gestures for her to come in.

Alisa enters, the full-length mirror on the dressing room’s wall reflecting their images as she stands there examining Akane’s new dress. Akane fusses, insisting it doesn’t suit her and that she’s too boyish for it, but Alisa will have none of it.

“Little tiger, don’t say that”, she chides Akane, causing the shorter girl to blush lightly. “You’re beautiful in your own way.”

\--

“Bye Mrs Norio! Say hi to the kids for me!”, Alisa calls out in a sing-song voice as they exit the shop, the doorbell buzzing a farewell tune.

“See you around, Alisa-chan!”, comes the loud reply from Mrs Norio.

Wearing the dress she bought, Alisa is a fairy maiden of old, amidst Tokyo’s concrete wilderness. The afternoon sunlight pours down on them, further accentuating Alisa’s ethereal beauty with each step she takes, and Akane can’t help but sneak glances in awe, even as she’s reminded of her own dress in the bag.

She grimaces at the thought, staring at the fancy bag like it’s plague-ridden. They traverse the sidewalk, side-stepping little kids, and old ladies, and a man holding a large dog by its leash. As the man walks past, a low grumble emanates from somewhere nearby.

Akane turns back to sneak a quick look, assuming at first that it’s the dog grumbling about wanting food or rest, but then she notices Alisa looking sheepish.

Again, the noise resounds, and Alisa places a hand on her stomach that’s growling with hunger. The illusion is broken, and suddenly she’s no ethereal, elegant fairy out of reach, Akane realizes, just a girl as human as she is.

She skipped breakfast altogether, Alisa tells Akane as they make their way to the nearest restaurant. Alisa smiles wryly and states, “I guess it’s time for lunch.”

\--

Alisa is nibbling on a tuna and mayo sandwich, her cheek propped against one hand while the other holds the sandwich, as she watches Akane tear through a steaming hot bowl of udon.  “Akane”, she calls.

“Mm?” Akane lifts her head to look at Alisa. “What’s up?”

Alisa’s eyes glint with curiosity, still observing Akane who’s now furrowing her face, wondering what exactly Alisa wants to say.

“What made you wanna become a manager?”, Alisa asks, setting her sandwich down. “I mean, in all those games we attended, you seemed happy enough to cheer from the stands.”

Akane shrugs. “I dunno. Guess I felt that wasn’t enough anymore.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s like…you know, wanting to fight alongside them instead of just watching. Something like that”, Akane explains, gesturing as though she’s a sword-wielding warrior. Alisa can’t help but smile at Akane’s display of enthusiasm.

“I think I get it”, Alisa reassures her. “That’s something precious to you.”

As Alisa begins to recount all the games where Akane led the cheering squad, enthusiastically shouting in support of Nekoma, Akane nods along silently, devouring her udon. She’s halfway through chewing a particularly thick strand of udon when Alisa asks her, “Speaking of precious things, do you have a boyfriend yet?”

Akane nearly leaps out of her chair in shock, swallowing the udon strand a little too fast. She coughs, choking on it, and Alisa has to pause her monologue to call for a glass of water, which the waiter promptly delivers, a dozen eyes watching the scene unfold from the other tables.

\--

“Ugh, that was so embarrassing”.

Akane moans, slumped forward at the table to hide her face from the crowd. Alisa just laughs it off and pats her friend on the back.  “You okay?”, she asks.

“Physically? Yeah. Not socially though.”

Clasping her hands together, Alisa lowers her head and apologizes, amidst Akane’s protests that, no, it’s nothing major, she was just joking.

“But really, why the sudden question?”, Akane asks after they’ve both calmed down.

“Oh. Just on a whim, I suppose.”

“Honestly, I’ve never really thought about these things”, she admits, gesturing to herself and sighing. “I’m a volleyball nerd, remember? Everyone says I’m married to volleyball.”

“Mm. I guess you have to find someone you love as much as volleyball, then.”

 _Or maybe you already have,_ echoes Akane’s inner voice, _I wonder who it could be,_ but she ignores it.

“What about you, Alisa?”

She shrugs dismissively at Akane’s question. “Oh. I’ve dated a few people here and there, but nothing’s worked out.”

At that moment, Alisa’s phone plays a catchy tune that Akane recognizes from some old anime. Alisa fishes it out of her pocket, tapping a button to pick up Lev’s call.

“Looks like they’re done. Let’s go for a walk, we’ll meet them halfway”, she tells Akane after Lev is done talking.

 

The river laps at its grassy banks, caged on both sides by the earth and concrete as it flows onwards to some faraway destination. Up above, Akane and Alisa stroll over a bridge, looking down on the rippling water, birds perching by its edge to sip from it.

There are families lingering on the banks, mothers herding their children to keep them away from the current, even as the toddlers struggle against their restraints.

 “You know, I travelled round the world after my studies were done, to Europe and America and Russia, but I still missed home”, Alisa admits with a hint of wistfulness in her voice, as she stops to admire the view. Akane nods, remembering those postcards she received, all neatly filed in an album under her bed and tucked into a box.

Alisa smiles and leans against the bridge railings, gazing across a Tokyo dyed orange by the late afternoon sun.

For a moment Akane is back in that crowded airport, looking on from behind, wanting Alisa to never leave. And yet, now that it’s come full circle, she finds herself hesitant and questioning what she really wants, a dull ache building in her chest.

Biting her lower lip, Akane stretches out her hand to reach for Alisa, but can’t bring herself to close that gap, pulling back at the last moment before their fingertips touch. Alisa doesn’t notice any of this, still staring out at the fading light, and neither does she notice her lanky younger brother sneaking up on her a short while later.

 

Lev, having arrived on the scene, gestures ‘Shh’ to a bewildered Akane and moves swiftly to poke his sister’s sides.

 

Alisa yelps in what seems to be Russian as she whips her head around, spying (and hearing) Lev doubled over in laughter next to Akane. Distracted as he is by his own amusement, Alisa merely has to reach over and flick him on the forehead as punishment. He groans, cowering despite being taller than her by nearly a head.

“Lyovochka”, she says with ice in her voice, “I’ll get you back for that.”

It’s then that Akane, amused by the Haiba sibling drama not unlike her own, notices Yaku, He’s walking up to them from further down the bridge, shaking his head disapprovingly, but Akane notes how his expression softens when he looks at Lev cowering before Alisa.

“Hey Alisa. ‘Sup, Akane?”, he calls out, greeting Akane with a high five. “How’s Tora? Busy with work, huh?”

“Yup.”

“That sucks. I was hoping to catch up with him.”

“Maybe another day.”

“I suppose. Sorry about Lev, I told him not to do it”, he apologizes to Alisa, scowling as he takes Lev’s hand to lift him up. “My boyfriend’s an idiot.”

“Oh, it’s alright, Yaku-kun”, Alisa replies, the perfect picture of calmness in a snowstorm. “I just let him win this time.” Lev begins to protest but is silenced by her icy glare. Unable to match his older sister, he instead turns to Yaku. “You’re a killjoy, Yaku”, he grumbles, smacking Yaku on the arm. Yaku takes the opportunity to fire back at him, listing off Lev’s bad points, including his extreme, beanstalk-like height.

But Akane isn’t paying attention to any of that. _My boyfriend’s an idiot,_ Yaku said, the words echoing in her mind. ‘ _I didn’t even know you guys were dating!’_ , she considers telling them, but holds her tongue as the tiff unfolds. There will be enough time to ask Yaku about it later, or even through instant messaging, she reasons. For now, Akane observes them sparring verbally and ponders her own uncertain feelings.

\--

Alisa holds the cellphone up in front of herself, gesturing for Lev to join in the selfie. “Lyovochka, you should come in too!”, she exclaims, wrapping an arm around her brother’s waist as he squeezes himself in next to her.

A _SNAP_ immortalizes the moment in a photo: Yaku’s next to Akane, frowning slightly from being relegated to standing in the short people row, and Akane smiles awkwardly as she holds up a peace sign, her face below Alisa’s. The late afternoon sunlight halos Alisa as though she’s a silver-haired angel, with Lev grinning and dampening her aura by using his fingers to form makeshift devil horns on her head.

\--

It’s nearly dinnertime when Akane arrives home, throwing her shoes to one side as she steps through the doorway. The living room TV is blaring some run of the mill action anime, and Taketora grunts a greeting as she passes through the living room, too engrossed in catching the fighting scenes to acknowledge her properly. Akane heads straight for her room, setting her bags down, then heads back down the stairs.

“How’d it go?”, he asks as she rounds the stairs and enters the living room.

“It was okay.” Akane flops down beside him on the couch and sticks her hand into the bag of potato chips he’s eating, stealing a few as he sits captivated by the action onscreen. He protests, of course, but she doesn’t care, muttering something about not understanding love.

“Don’t mutter to yourself, that’s creepy”, Taketora chides her, but Akane doesn't reply.

“Hey, niichan”, she says after a while of watching two burly men beat each other up with their fists, using an honorific he hardly hears Akane use.

Taketora pauses the video player, then turns to her. “What’s up?”

“Have you ever been in love?”

“Huh? What sort of stupid question is that? Of course I have.” He puffs up his chest, smirking. “I remember when I first saw her, that beautiful manager from Karasuno-”

“Okay, okay. I know what you mean”, Akane quickly cuts him off, not wanting to hear him go on and on about his first crush. She lowers her voice, continuing, “But no, I mean…how do you know when you’re in love? That you wanna be more than just friends?”

“Um…I dunno. It’s just a feeling you get, I guess. Why?”

“Nah, it’s nothing.”

“Oh, so you’re at that age now huh? My little sis is all grown up!” He sniffles in mock sadness, wiping an imaginary tear from his eye. Akane, annoyed, throws a cushion at him and he growls, tossing it right back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this fic is primarily a one-sided Akane x Alisa thingie, but there's also Yaku x Lev, which I didn't focus on much this chapter. Don't worry, Yaku will continue to appear in subsequent chapters, so he's not just a minor char :)


	3. Work, Work, Work

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The qualifiers are approaching, and Akane tries her best to get the team ready.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, I'm a bit late with this chapter due to some personal issues (and also laziness tbh). Enjoy, and feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments (just don't be an ass about it :3).
> 
> Might be a bit slow with publishing CH4, I've got work stuff to settle.

“ **TWO WEEKS TILL THE QUALIFIERS** ”, read the words written in red ink on the whiteboard, positioned near the gym’s entrance for all to see as they come and go, like a specter looming over them. Those very words echo in Akane’s mind, her notebook in hand as she studies her team’s performance, jotting down each triumph and failure on the court.

The gym is abuzz with commotion, players running back and forth across the court in hot pursuit of the volleyball, a streak of blue and yellow soaring through the air.

 _Yamashiro – Solid overall, but needs to coordinate with the rest better,_ she scribbles on her notepad in messy scrawls, trying her best to focus on the players despite her own attention being divided by the Maths textbook lying open on her lap, and a multitude of thoughts running wild through her mind, most of them centered on Alisa and the upcoming tournament.

 _Junichi - form kinda off_. _Too stiff_.

_Hiroomi – His spikes need more power, work on training arm muscles_

_Haven’t talked to Alisa much since our outing cuz she’s busy with job hunting…_

 

Her face blooms bright red as she realizes she wrote Alisa’s name, and hastily crosses it out before continuing her observation.

~~_Haven’t talked to Alisa much since our outing cuz she’s busy with job hunting…_ ~~

 

Akane watches as Junichi goes for a block.

He stretches out his long arms, leaping and reaching for the ball as it flies towards him.

Victory is in his grasp, but it slips away, the ball flying off at an angle to land behind him as he loses his balance and falls flat on the gym floor, landing on his back.

 

“Hey, careful!”, Akane yells across the room as she rushes to where he’s lying, peering down at him in concern as the other players crowd round.

 “You okay?”, she asks with worry in her voice, extending a hand to him. He nods gingerly, taking her hand to pull himself up. Akane notes that he flinches slightly as he touches her hand but chalks it up to him being a typical shy teenage boy. The other boys are whispering and muttering about him, but she ignores their speculation, silencing them with a withering glare.

 

At that moment, their gym’s half-opened door creaks open. Taketora’s heavy footsteps echo as he walks in, his expression bemused by the gaggle of players gathering round Junichi.

He sips from the soda can in his hand, then yells at the players. “Oi, what’s going on?”

“Junichi screwed up a block and lost his balance”, Akane calls back, causing Junichi to hang his head in shame, shrinking like a deflated balloon.

“Seriously? Again?”

“Yup.”

 

Taketora shakes his head in disappointment but says nothing to Junichi. Instead, he yells in a gruff, booming voice for them to pay attention, and when all eyes are on him, repeats the reminder he’s been giving the past week: Regional qualifiers will be happening soon, and so their annual interschool training camp begins on Friday after school, running for the entire weekend.

Satisfied that he’s delivered the message, Taketora orders the players back into position, and begins a series of drills, taking his place on the court like old times. Akane observes and notes down their performance as they run through the fundamentals of volleyball, her brother’s presence a pillar of support, despite how stern and commanding he is. Occasionally, she watches as a player or two takes a penalty, having to practice their dive receives and falls.

Junichi, especially, seems somewhat distracted, glancing back at her every so often.

 _Maybe he’s embarrassed by what happened earlier,_ she thinks to herself, trying to forget her own blushes and awkward moments around Alisa, and that longing look Yaku gave Lev. Her mind wandering, the training session seems to go on forever as she struggles to focus on the team, batting away a flood of distracting thoughts.

 

At last, the school bell rings, and Akane sighs in relief, as do the players, their shoulders slumped from exhaustion as they begin packing their bags to leave. She rises from her seated position and stretches, walking over to where Taketora is sitting hunched over on the bench, gaze still trained on the court. She sits down beside him, handing him a towel which he accepts gratefully.

“So…think they can make it?”, Akane asks, gesturing to the players. Taketora takes a deep breath, exhaling loudly.

“Nope. Not even past quarterfinals”, he replies curtly. “And Nationals is definitely out of the question.”

“Oh, come on, you’re the coach. Be a bit more positive.”

“Just being realistic, sis. Compared to our time, there’s no way in hell these guys stand a chance the way they are now.”

“I guess. You’ve always been one of a kind.”

He narrows his eyes, glaring down at Akane. “Is that a compliment or insult?”

 

“Dunno.” She shrugs and smiles slyly, meeting his fierce gaze. “Maybe I’ll tell you, if you do the dishes tonight.” Undeterred, he continues glaring, but the standoff is interrupted by his phone beeping. Taketora pulls it out of his shorts pocket, his fingers tapping clumsily on the keypad.

 

“Shit. Gotta run”, he spits after reading the message, frowning at the phone screen. Akane leans over to take a peek, but he pulls the phone away from her with a growl.

“What, boss needs you back?”, she asks.

“Yeah, new shipment just came in.” Taketora grimaces. “Need a lift?”

“Nah, I gotta clean the store.”

“Just get those idiots to do it.”

“I’m the manager, dude. Lead by example and all that.”

“Wow, you’re surprisingly responsible today”, he teases, making Akane frown and pout.

“I always am”, she retorts, as he leans in close, as though scrutinizing her intently.

“Really?”

“Oh, screw you.” Akane groans, pushing him away with both hands. “Piss off and get to work already!”

 

Chuckling at having won their battle of words, Taketora grunts and rises to his feet swiftly. He strides out through the door, giving a quick wave to Akane as he departs. Her gaze lingers for a while on the door he left ajar, before she turns back to the players, who’re eagerly slinging their packed bags over their shoulders, some already halfway to the door.

“Guys, I need one person to help me clean the store. Who wants to volunteer?”

Groans can be heard from the players, some of them muttering about having homework to do and videogames to be played when they get home. Akane scans for any raised hands, and frowns when she finds none, folding her arms in displeasure. “Come on guys, it’s your club too, take ownership of it!”

“Alright, if no one wants to do it, I’ll pick-” Suddenly, one hand shoots up.

“Junichi huh? That’s nice of you”, she compliments him as he strides over to the bench, making him blush lightly.

\--

As they enter the storeroom, Akane coughs, their footsteps kicking up a thin layer of dust on the ground. Around their feet, various kinds of sports equipment are strewn about: nets, balls, and racquets, and even an entire basketball hoop.

“We should have cleaned it earlier in the year”, Junichi grumbles, swiping a finger across a cardboard box. When he pulls it back, his pale fingertip is jet-black.

“Sorry about that, I was a bit busy with getting the club settled.”

“I wasn’t scolding you, Akane-san”, he assures her, reaching for a half-empty plastic bin on one of the high shelves. He pulls it down with ease, setting it on the floor gently to avoid stirring up more dust. “You could have asked for our help. I mean, you’ve already been working yourself like crazy.”

Squatting beside a nondescript box, Akane slices into the sealing tape with a pair of scissors. “Doesn’t feel that way sometimes”, she replies softly, opening the box to find a bunch of smaller boxes. Lifting the lid on one, a few medals fall out, along with a photo, and she reaches for it.

Junichi peers over her shoulder at the photo, letting out a gasp of surprise. “Hey, isn’t that…”

“Nii-san’s team.”

 

“Wow, they were cool!”, he exclaims, eyes lighting up in excitement as he points to Lev, who’s flashing his classic Cheshire Cat grin and giving the peace sign. “That’s the tall senpai who crashed his bike the other time, right? I can’t remember his name.”

“Yup, that’s Lev.” Her finger traces a trail over the dust-coated photo, coming to rest on Taketora. “And this one’s nii-san.”

“I like his old hairstyle better”, Junichi admits, staring back quickly at the doorway, as if fearful Taketora will appear when his name is spoken. Akane lifts a finger to her lips in mock horror.

“Don’t let him hear that, he’ll kill you”, she whispers. He nods solemnly, then they both break out into laughter. She goes on to point out the remaining team members, describing each in detail as Junichi looks on in awe.

 

“Wow, you’re really passionate about this”, he exclaims when she’s done describing them all, his awestruck expression reminding her of Alisa saying the same thing. Chuckling awkwardly, she dismisses his compliment, claiming it’s the manager’s job to know their players.

For a moment, she wonders if she’ll ever lead them to victory, but pushes the thought aside and fixates on cleaning the store, ordering Junichi to resume his cleaning. He nods in assent. Grabbing a broom from its hook on the far wall, Akane begins to sweep up dust into a neat pile, even as Junichi wipes grime off the shelves.

\--

“Finally.” Akane wipes a bead of sweat from her brow as she emerges from Nekoma High’s gym storeroom an hour later, her white t-shirt stained by gray patches of dust and grime which she tries to brush off to no avail. Junichi comes out a moment later, having to duck under the low doorway for fear of hitting his head.

 

Her throat parched, Akane turns the corner and heads for the vending machine, followed close behind by Junichi. In quick, practiced motions, Akane procures herself some grape juice.

 “Hey, what drink do you want?”, she asks, one hand holding the can while the other rummages for more coins in her pocket.

“Huh? Oh, no, it’s alright.”

“Come on, it’s my treat. You did volunteer to help after all.” Finding a 100-yen coin, Akane beams triumphantly and jams it into the coin slot, the machine’s buttons lighting up as she does so.

“Um…just an isotonic soda then”, Junichi answers hesitantly. Akane taps a brightly lit button, causing a dull rattle and _THUNK_ as the machine grumbles, releasing a can.

She grabs the can and throws it to him, as if tossing a volleyball. “Catch.”

“Thanks.”

They’re walking past the school gate, taking sips from their nearly empty cans, when Akane stops and turns back to stare at the school building, its white walls bathed in orange sunlight.

“What’s the matter?”, Junichi asks her, “Did you forget something?”

“Nah, it’s nothing.” Akane just shakes her head, turning on her heel and heading forward down the road, towards the train station.

As it turns out, he’s headed in the same direction. The rest of their train journey is filled with idle chatter, and whining about the upcoming exams, Akane expounding on her hatred for maths. He laughs when she describes how she once ended up doodling cute animals on the paper instead of answering properly, earning a scolding from her teacher.

At the stop before hers, he alights. “See you at training tomorrow”, Junichi calls out, smiling and waving goodbye.

“See ya.”

\--

The Shinzen High gym is steadily filling up with a flood of volleyball players in brightly coloured gym jerseys, Akane observes from her position in the corner, noting the school teams present there: their own Nekoma squad, what seems to be Fukurodani, and the host team Shinzen. Their eternal rivals Karasuno are nowhere to be seen, though.

Akane’s watching the boys warming up, stretching their limbs and bouncing up and down, and hastily scribbles a few tips for Nekoma’s warmup routine in her notebook. Her pen is halfway through a sentence when an unfamiliar girl in a pink sports coat approaches her.

 

“Hey!”, the short-haired girl greets Akane enthusiastically, gesturing to the empty chair next to her. “Anyone sitting here?”

“No, go ahead.”

“Thanks.”

“So…you’re the new Nekoma manager, right? I heard you guys never had one before.”

“Yup. And you are…?”

“Oops, sorry, forgot to intro myself! I’m Karasuno’s new manager, Akari Uchida, taking over from Yachi-san. ”

“I’m Akane Taketora”, Akane says, offering a handshake. “Anyway, Akari-san, where’s your team?”

“Those dummies messed up their exams, so Coach Keishin grounded them.”

 _Guess I’d better pass mine too,_ Akane muses, _though Tora probably won’t dare to ground me._

 “How’s it like being a manager? You coping well?”, Akari asks, unrelenting in her questioning.

“I’m okay, I guess. Still learning the ropes. You?”

“Mm. It’s not easy. If you need a listening ear-”

“Students, please line up in an orderly manner, according to your schools!”, booms the Shinzen coach’s voice across the court. Akari turns to Akane and smiles sweetly, placing a hand on Akane’s shoulder.

“I’ll talk to you later, Akane”, she says as she stands up and skips away, leaving Akane to make her way to where her own team’s lining up. At least she’s not entirely alone in this struggle.

\--

“Foul!”, yells the Shinzen player assigned as referee. Akane notes the circumstances -Yoshihiro tried to do a dump block versus Shinzen and smacked the net- and jots them down in her notebook, sighing in frustration as she stares at the dismal scoreboard.

“Come on guys, I know it’s just training, but be more careful”, Akane chides, her voice nearly drowned out by the din of other players walking about and chattering. “Sorry!”, comes the sheepish reply from Yoshihiro, but he proceeds to make the same mistake three times more over the course of that match. It ends, of course, in a 20-25 loss for Nekoma. They put up a decent fight though, Akane consoles herself.

It’s Fukurodani’s turn to face them now.

A rather lanky first year player grips the ball tightly as his gaze roams about the court, looking for an opening. He raises his arms to launch the ball…and drops it, as his attention is drawn elsewhere. In fact, the entire Fukurodani squad is staring in the same direction: at the gym’s closed door, through which muffled, raised voices can be heard.

 

As Akane watches bemused, the door bursts open, and four figures stand there with the morning sunlight to their backs. She recognizes two of them as Lev (and her heart leaps for joy as she sees him, sinking back down a moment later with the realization Alisa isn’t there) and Yaku, but it takes a few seconds more for her to place the identities of the other two. She gasps in surprise when the realization finally hits her, staring at Fukurodani’s former captain and vice-captain.

 

“Hey, hey, hey!”, Bokuto yells out as he enters, earning himself a glare from Akaashi, and as if on cue, the Fukurodani boys all abandon their positions on court, flocking to him like owls chasing their prey. He laughs as he sees them crowding round and demanding his attention, basking in the glory of being an idol to his juniors. Akaashi, unbothered by all the attention, stands off to one side silently judging Bokuto.

Akane’s still rooted there staring at the commotion when she feels a tap on her shoulder. She turns to see Lev towering over her, with Yaku by his side.

“Oh, hey.” She always feels like a dwarf when standing near him, not just because she’s short, but because he’s freakishly tall thanks to his Russian genes. _Maybe that’s how Yaku feels all the time,_ she thinks to herself.

Even her brother looks short next to him, as Taketora lumbers over from where he’s seated with the other coaches to come up and greet the new arrivals. While Taketora catches up with Yaku on recent events, Lev consults Akane about the team.

 

“How’s the training going?”, he asks. She groans, giving him a thumbs down.

“Not good. Our current team is…”

“Bad?”, offers Lev.

“I wouldn’t say they’re _bad_ , just…well, we’ve gotta work to get back our old glory, I guess.”

 

“That’s normal, Akane-chan”, Yaku suddenly interjects. He jabs his thumb at Taketora, regaling Akane with tales of their old team’s exploits, and how Tora tried too hard to be like Yaku once before learning to find his own style. Taketora, usually loud and overconfident, hangs his head and becomes meek as a mouse upon hearing his old captain’s words, to which Yaku responds by draping an arm over his shoulder in encouragement.

“But seriously, Tora, it’s good to see you becoming coach”, Yaku assures him, a faint hint of a smile curling on Yaku’s lips as he continues talking, holding hands with Lev all the while. “And I never imagined Akane-chan would be our first manager in years.”

Taketora shakes his head. “Nah, I ain’t half as good as old man Nekomata.”

“Don’t put yourself down, bro. No one could live up to his standards, man. Not even him”, says Yaku gently.

 

“I guess”, Akane replies half-heartedly. Turning her gaze back to where Bokuto and Akaashi are, she notices Bokuto headed their way, his crowd of admirers now dispersed by the teachers. Akaashi trails behind him, as always, wearing his perpetually grumpy expression.

 

“Eh? Who’s this girl? She seems familiar…”, Bokuto asks as he approaches jauntily, prancing about her as though inspecting a new car. If it were any other guy, she’d not tolerate this, but from all her observations and secondhand news, Akane knows Bokuto never means any harm, not even when he blurts out the next words that come to his mind.

“Oh, you’re the beefy Nekoma gorilla guy’s sister! You’re cute. Nice to meetcha!”, he shouts loud enough to turn heads, seemingly oblivious to Taketora standing there, his smile false as Bokuto digs his grave deeper with each word.

At last, Taketora simply lays his hand on Bokuto’s shoulder, still wearing that plastic smile.

“Don’t call me a gorilla”, he warns Bokuto, continuing, “and don’t get too close to Akane”, leaving the former Fukurodani captain shivering in fear.

\--

 “So…why are all of you here anyway?”, Akane asks her seniors, after defusing the (admittedly rather minor) situation between her brother and Bokuto. Hearing her question, Bokuto’s smile suddenly turns upside down, his face resembling the jowls of her neighbour’s bulldog, Akane notes with some amusement.

“I feel so hurt, Akane-chan”, he mumbles, staring at the floor aimlessly. “I came all the way here, and got scolded by Akaashi, just to meet my juniors, and see how my old almond master is doing.”

_Almond…master?_

An awkward silence ensues, the gears in their heads grinding as they try to figure out what he’s saying.

At last, Akaashi clears his throat. “Bokuto-san, I think the correct term is ‘alma mater’. And you deserved that scolding, today’s lecture was pretty important.”

“But you accompanied me anyway! Boo!”, Bokuto retorts childishly, pointing an accusing finger at Akaashi as he continues to sulk. The others struggle to stifle their laughter at the duo’s antics, Akaashi acting like a mum to Bokuto despite being the younger of the two.

\--

“…and that’s what happened at our training session. Day 2 and 3 were a bit more subdued, fortunately”, Akane tells Alisa over the phone, sprawled across her bed on Sunday night with 3 days’ worth of exhaustion weighing on her. But for all her burdens, that weight is suddenly lifted when she hears Alisa’s soothing voice.

Alisa giggles in her high-pitched, girlish laugh, sending a tingle down Akane’s spine. “Sounds like you’re having fun, little tiger”, she replies, and Akane can hear faint strains of music in the background.

“Lev didn’t tell you any of this?”

“He isn’t home yet. I think he went out dating with Yaku again.”

“Oh”, is the only reply Akane can muster, too afraid to prod further for fear of unraveling her own tangled emotions. After a long pause, she adds, “Well, I’m getting used to being the manager, but honestly, it’s still kinda scary.”

“You’re doing fine, little tiger.”

“I hope so.”

Don’t worry, I’ll be there at the qualifiers, to cheer you on.”


	4. Electric Heartbeat; Downfall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The qualifiers are here! Also, Akane's still uncertain about her feelings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long to publish this chapter, I've been busy with work and my own issues. The chapter's a bit longer, so enjoy, I guess :3

Akane’s hand trembles as she tugs the doorknob, entering the gym to a waiting crowd.

 

Tora’s saying something to her, but she can’t hear it over the sound of her own heartbeat, and the electric noise of the crowd, as small as it is. She looks down at her palm, idly tracing the kanji for ‘person’ on it with her finger. As she raises her hand to her mouth, miming a swallowing motion, Taketora jabs her on the shoulder.

“Nervous, huh?”, he asks. She nods slightly, not looking him in the eye. He responds with a pinch on her right arm.

She yelps and leaps back, glaring. “Oi, what was that for??”

“Akane.” Tora calls her name firmly, and she turns back to look as they walk forward, Taketora staring down at the fireball that is his sister, her fiery gaze somewhat diminished by a wavering heart. “The Yamamotos don’t need that kind of thing. Cuz we’re-”

“Cuz we’re warriors, right?”, Akane says, finishing his sentence as she repeats the cheesy family motto their dad invented. She sighs. “I know, mum was saying the same thing earlier.”

Tora raises an eyebrow. “Really?”

“Yeah. Well…” A sly smile comes over Akane’s face. She stops in her tracks, putting on her best innocent face. “Mum does love me more, after all.”

He growls, narrowing his eyes. “Pretty sure I’m her favourite.”

“Yeah, keep telling yourself that”, she replies, wagging a finger at him. Taketora lunges at Akane playfully, but she steps aside, and he nearly crashes into another coach coming from the opposite direction.

 

“Sorry!”, Taketora calls out. The other coach grins, telling Taketora to be careful, and continues along his way.

 

“But really”, Akane says somewhat wistfully, once the coach is out of earshot, “I wish dad was here to watch us.”

For a moment, she regrets bringing it up when she sees how sad Taketora looks, but he quickly recovers. “Let’s go. The team’s waiting”, he tells her, as if tossing aside that particular concern. Akane

nods, trailing behind her big brother as they enter one of the gym’s side rooms.

 

The Nekoma squad’s already waiting, doing warmups. As the siblings walk in, some of the boys look up from their exercises and greet them loudly.

When they’re all settled down, Akane flips the pages on her notebook, opening it to a list of their names. Performing the rollcall, she notes their nervous expressions and trembling hands, but says nothing about it, her own storm raging within.

 

As she’s nearing the end of her list, Akane calls out “Tachibana, Junichi”. His hand shoots into the air, and she notes it down, moving on to the next name.

But Junichi’s gaze lingers.

“Something wrong, Junichi?”, Akane asks, noticing his stare. She places her hands on her hips. “You look like Mrs Takehara just scolded you.”

He shakes his head sheepishly. “Nah, it’s nothing.”

Junichi turns his gaze towards the floor, muttering a second “Nothing” for good measure. Shrugging, Akane returns her attention to the other players.

\--

After the rollcall’s over, she hands things over to her brother, figuring he’s got it covered. Akane exits the room, making her way to the bench. As she sits, Akane takes a moment to look around at the audience; family members and friends of the players fill the gymnasium’s stands, eagerly awaiting the sight of their loved ones on the court.

No sign of Alisa though.

_She said she’d arrive before the matches start._

Brushing it off as Alisa’s typical flakiness, Akane lets her gaze wander across the other teams, who’re off in various corners of the court doing their own preparation.

 _They seem confident_ , she notes, wondering about her own team’s capabilities. One of the players _(Hotaru Kamishiro, Fukurodani Wing Spiker)_ notices her staring and whistles, waving at her. His coach smacks him upside the head, drawing laughter from the rest.

But Akane barely heeds the scene, fixating instead on the crowd.

She smiles and shuts her eyes.

 

For a moment, she’s back in the stands, hearing the crowd’s roar around her as she watches her brother and his team struggle on the court. She cheers and shouts, spurring them on with words of encouragement, even as they push through victory, and defeat, and injuries.

Beside her, Alisa too is captivated by the volleyball match, and she turns to Akane, wide-eyed.

“Akane-san!”

But the voice that’s calling out to her now isn’t Alisa’s.

 

Akane opens her eyes to see Taketora and Junichi walking towards her, with Junichi calling out her name. Behind them, the other players are emerging from the waiting room.

She grins and high fives them as they pass.

Taketora grunts, ruffling her hair before lumbering off to his observation point near the referee’s table, while Junichi lingers a moment longer, peering down at her with a concerned look. “Akane-san. You okay?”, he asks. She shrugs, dismissing his concern.

“I’m fine. Just a little worried”, Akane replies, jabbing him in the stomach with her finger. He winces, and she continues, “But don’t focus on me. Focus on the game, Junichi.”

“Yes ma’am!”, Junichi shouts cheerfully as he walks away onto the court.

Once all the players are present, the referee gestures, and both teams line up on opposite sides of the net, bowing in respect before taking their positions. A whistle blows shrilly, its screech kicking the match into gear.

\--

As Akane watches, Yamashiro grips the ball tightly, his hands like a coiled spring as he lifts it high. He launches the ball, aiming for a sweet spot behind Nohebi’s blockers. Noticing his intention, they scramble to intercept, a millisecond too slow as the ball barely grazes their fingertips, landing in Nohebi’s court.

They’re off to a good start.

Akane continues her observation as Nohebi retaliates, and her team responds, and so on as the first set speeds by.

Before she knows it, the score is 18-23, and Nohebi’s players are on the defensive, despite their best efforts to fight back. Nekoma seems to have lost their nervousness, caught up in the flow of intercepting the ball and serving it back, and Akane too finds herself swept along.

The set ends soon after in Nekoma’s favour.

 

 Amidst a lull in the action, as the Nohebi players huddle round and use their post-set time to strategize, Akane reviews her notes, scribbling little comments in the margins and crossing some things out.

_-Junichi’s posture still needs work_

_-Nohebi - good wing spiker. libero’s dangerous too <\- maybe I’m wrong, fluke_

_-Tatsuya needs: sync jump timing w/others for quicks <\- improving, could be better_

- _keep eye on Nohebi mid blocker, tricky_

The second match begins soon after, but Nohebi doesn’t fare any better, and before they know it, they’re staring defeat in the face again.

 

Glancing desperately at the scoreboard, Nohebi’s setter tosses the ball high into the air, as though aiming for the gym’s skylights, presumably hoping the odd angle of attack will confuse Nekoma’s blockers.

No such luck.

Junichi leaps, arms extended to grasp the ball. He doesn’t quite succeed in catching it, but the ball’s course is changed enough that their libero Aoyama can intercept it, passing it back to their wing spiker Hiroomi who fires off a serve, breaking through Nohebi’s blockers. A cheer erupts from the Nekoma squad, the boys clapping each other on the back, while Nohebi hang their heads in shame as they slink off.

 

And yet, even as her players celebrate and rest before their next match, Akane can’t help but feel uneasy. She sets aside the notebook, then pulls out her phone, checking its inbox:

NO NEW MESSAGES.

 

_Did something happen to Alisa? She promised to show up…_

Akane looks around the gym frantically, eyes searching the crowd for any sign of the tall Russian girl.

_What if something bad happened? What if she got into an accident or something?_

The referee’s whistle blows, signaling the next match between Yamagumo High and Tetsugawa Academy, but she’s already halfway through the door.

 

Stepping out of that Salonpas-scented gym, Akane takes in the fresh morning air, breathing deeply to calm herself, if only a little. She flips her phone open and types a message, “whr r u Alisa? ”, tapping the Send button, then leans against a wall, staring at the birds congregating on a nearby tree as they chirp to each other.

From inside, through the thin wooden doors, Akane can hear the players shouting, and the thud of a volleyball on the gym floor, over and over. After what seems to be half an hour, the voices go silent, and then the whistle blows again, ushering in a whole new set of voices.

The third match passes without any reply from Alisa, and soon it’s Nekoma’s turn. _One step closer to the Nationals,_ Akane thinks to herself, still clutching her phone tightly. _If we can keep this up, that is._

Sighing, she dusts her shirt off, heading back in with a million fears swirling in her head.

\--

As Akane re-enters, Masao waves to her, practically jumping up and down in excitement as he bounds over to where she is.

“Manager-san, did you see our plays against Nohebi?? They were really cool!”

Akane forces a smile, pushing those worries into the corner. “Yeah, you guys did well.”

“I know right? I mean that block by Junichi…Aoyama’s receives…Takeda’s serves…” He rambles on and on, and Akane doesn’t catch most of it, but nods along anyway, not wanting to ruin his mood with her negativity.

At last he finally stops talking, after what feels like an eternity to Akane, but before she can reply, the referee’s whistle blows.

Akane returns to her spot on the bench, watching as her players assume their positions. She shouts a quick ‘Good Luck’ to them, and sticks her tongue out at Tora, to which he responds by glaring and flipping her the bird.

As the match begins, Akane jots down ‘Quarterfinals’ on a new page in her notebook, scribbling a small note on the side, _Alisa’s really late,_ before crossing it out.

She frowns, then returns her attention to the match.

\--

It starts off well, with their other wing spiker Kai landing a few good serves at the start, taking their opponents by surprise, but soon Nekoma begins to lose ground as Shinzen adapts and fights back.

Shinzen, ever determined, tests the Nekoma blockers with their serves, an unrelenting volley of firepower that begins to wear at their stamina. By the tenth minute, the score is tied at 15-15, and the Nekoma boys have made a few slip-ups. Nothing major, just a slightly mistimed jump, a badly aimed serve, a missed block, _but these mistakes add up_ , Akane notes.

“At least they haven’t injured themselves or anything”, she mutters, chiding herself for even thinking about it. “Should probably talk to Junichi about being careful, though.”

A few more minutes pass, with Nekoma slowly regaining their momentum, and near the 20-minute mark they’re ahead again.

Just as Yamashiro is about to serve, Taketora calls for a timeout.

Akane heads over to where the players are gathered, handing Taketora the notebook. She listens as her brother begins to scold the players, wearing a pained expression on his face as he points out their mistakes. “Yes, you’re winning”, he tells them, “but don’t get overconfident. Against better teams it can be costly.”

 

Halfway through his lecture, Akane’s phone rings. The screen lights up with a picture of Alisa grinning into the camera, and Akane hastily taps the Answer button.

“Hey, um…could you come get me at the entrance?”, crackles Alisa’s voice through the phone speaker, wrapped in static from the gym’s poor reception. “The guard won’t let me in.”

“Oh.” Akane glances in the direction of the gym compound’s entrance, remembering her confrontation with a rather grumpy security guard earlier. “Okay, okay, I’m on my way.”

\--

 “Thanks for the help.” Strolling beside Akane, Alisa turns to her and states with some amusement in her voice, “You’re quite scary sometimes, Akane-chan.”

“Hmm. Is that bad?”, Akane asks, pulling a sulky face. Alisa briefly furrows her brow, pondering the question.

“Not really. You can get people to cooperate easily”, she replies cheerily after a while. Inside the gym, the Nekoma players are shouting in joy as they win their first set. “Wouldn’t wanna be on the receiving end, though”, Alisa continues, but Akane remains silent.

Not receiving a reply, Alisa whines and reaches out to tug at Akane’s shirt.  “Are you mad at me?”, Alisa asks softly. Akane nods, but can’t help melting as she stares into those pleading green eyes. It’s downright unfair.

 

“Fine”, she mutters at last, her resolve cracking. “I forgive you.”

“It’s my- _our_ first tournament, so yeah, I’m just…” Akane tells Alisa as they approach the gym, her words hanging in the air.

“Nervous, huh? You’ll be fine, little tiger.”

“Easy for you to say, Alisa”, Akane fires back, struggling to push open the gym door. “Ugh, something’s wrong with this-”

Alisa reaches over, placing her hand over Alisa’s own, and pulls the door open. She smiles. “Calm down, Akane-chan.”

\--

“One touch!”, Junichi calls out, as the ball grazes his outstretched hand.

Aoyama braces himself, taking the ball’s impact, rebounding it towards Masao who’s eagerly awaiting his turn to return the serve.

“They seem to be doing well”, Alisa observes, seated beside Akane on the bench. Akane shakes her head, shoving her open notebook into Alisa’s hands, tapping each highlighted point as Alisa skims through.

“Aw, mistakes happen”, Alisa quips, handing the notebook back to her after a brief read-through, but Akane doesn’t reply.

She’s watching the ball sail back and forth over the court, both sides jostling for their next point. “Masao, careful!”, Akane suddenly calls out, as he spikes the ball into the net. Groans erupt from their side of the court, and Masao grins sheepishly, shouting an apology.

 

Now, thanks to that blunder, their scores are tied. As the match continues, hastily scribbles a play by play in the margins, eyes flitting between the match and her notes.

Eventually, Shinzen pulls ahead once more, nearing their score threshold. Unwilling to let up, Nekoma’s captain glances back quickly at Taketora, who gives a signal. On cue, their libero braces himself, and receives a fast ball spiked by Shinzen, controlling the angle to rebound it into the air.

The rest all leap at once, in a synchronized quick attack…but Shinzen’s blockers are faster, and the ball that Masao spikes gets intercepted immediately.

Having gained control of the momentum, Shinzen follows up, and scores another 2 points easily to win the set. Akane can see the disappointment on their faces, and wonders if she’s making the same expression.

Again, Taketora calls them off the court, and gives more pointers. The players nod half-heartedly, a bit dejected, but by the end of Taketora’s pep talk, they’re all fired up again. _My brother was never this good at speaking back in school_ , Akane muses.

_I suppose he’s not the only one who changed a lot._

 

It’s time for Set 3 to commence. The momentum is on Shinzen’s side at first, but with Taketora’s words in mind, the Nekoma boys gradually claw back to close the score gap.

They’re definitely eager to win, and Akane notices their form is slipping as they aim for big plays. At one point, Yoshihiro ends up smacking a net pole instead of the ball, and Akane is on the scene to inspect his hand for injuries.

Yoshihiro turns out to be fine, with only a little bruise to show for his mistake, and the match resumes as though nothing had happened. Their chances of making it through are good, Alisa points out later, despite those small incidents here and there.

 _“Nope. Not even past quarterfinals”_ , Akane remembers Tora telling her, and makes a note to rub it in his face later.

After a grueling 3rd set, Nekoma prevails at last.

\--

 “Alright guys, rest and go eat something light. Just be back on time!”, Taketora yells to the players as they disperse, over the din of other teams taking their place on court. He grabs his water bottle, taking a swig and handing it to Akane, who screws her face up in disgust. Shrugging, Taketora screws the cap back on and sets it aside

“Can I have the notebook?”, he asks. She nods, gesturing for Alisa to come over.

Taketora grunts a ‘thanks’ as he takes the notebook from Alisa. Quickly flipping through the pages, he pauses occasionally to write his own observations with a blue pen, ignoring Akane’s protests. By the time he hands it back to her, the pages of her notebook are more blue than dark green.

 

“So, where’s Lev?”, Taketora asks Alisa, as he sits between her and Akane on the bench, observing the next match. Fukurodani is still a powerhouse even now, but their opponent Fukuyama is no slouch either.

Alisa smiles and takes out her phone, showing him a picture of Lev carrying a heavy box through the door of a freshly painted house. “Our auntie’s moving to Kyoto, and she needed some help.”

“She bribed him with sushi, right?” It’s no secret Lev loves inari sushi, but Taketora can’t stand the stuff, so they end up arguing over it a lot.

“Oh, you know my brother so well!”, Alisa exclaims cheerfully.

 

“I suppose”, he grumbles, pausing to yell at Junichi. “Junichi, don’t go running around. Save your energy!”

Alisa ignores his outburst and continues, “Well, he’ll probably ask you for a recap of the game later, so-”

A loud voice interrupts her.

“Hey, coach!”, calls Yoshihiro from the gym doorway, earning himself a glare from the referee. A few members of the audience turn their attention to him too, but he doesn’t seem to notice.

“What??”, Taketora yells back, rising clumsily.

“The boys wanna see you!”

“Now?”

“Yeah, now!”

\--

With Taketora gone, Akane and Alisa remain seated side by side, silently observing the match. Occasionally, Alisa asks her a question about something occurring on the court and she answers, peppering her speech with volleyball jargon.

“It’s like old times, isn’t it?”, Alisa asks after a particularly grueling rally that seems to go on forever. Akane nods as she chews on her late lunch, a ham sandwich, and Alisa takes this as consent to keep talking. “Don’t you wish time could stop? Like, to preserve all those fond memories.”

“Yeah. But we gotta grow up. Or sideways, in my case.” Setting the sandwich down, Akane lifts the hem of her shirt slightly, pinching her exposed waist for emphasis. Gasping in horror, Alisa pushes Akane’s hand down, quickly hiding the revealed sliver of flesh from prying eyes.

“Hey, you’re in a room full of people, is it really wise to do that?”, Alisa chides, wagging a finger. Akane rolls her eyes.

“Pfft. Who’s gonna be aroused by someone like ME?”

“You never know.” Alisa sweeps her hand across the room. “Maybe some guy or girl has a crush on you.”

 _Or girl._ Those electric words coming from Alisa’s mouth catch Akane off guard, making her flinch. She feels a heat spreading through her cheeks. But before Akane can sputter out a reply, Alisa has already changed the topic.

“Well, I get your point. ‘Change is the only constant’”, Alisa exclaims, raising a finger in the air like some philosopher.

“Yeah. Can’t remember who said that”, Akane replies, relieved that Alisa didn’t pick up her reaction. “It’s a wise proverb.”

Alisa points to the half-eaten sandwich snug in its wrapper on the bench. “It would be wise to finish your meal too. Sorry, little tiger, I interrupted you.”

“It’s fine.” Grabbing the sandwich, Akane mutters a ‘thanks though’ and resumes eating, and they fall back into silence as the match goes on, with Akane wondering briefly whether she’ll grow apart from Alisa as they change further. Or maybe they'll grow closer, and...

Akane shuts that thought down before it even begins, refusing to acknowledge it, and turns her attention back to the match.

The first set goes to Fukuyama, after a close win, but Fukurodani doesn’t seem fazed at all. They start off the second set with aggressive serves that find their mark easily, as if punishing Fukuyama for daring to challenge them, and it escalates from there, with Fukurodani eventually triumphing.

\--

The other two matches fly by, and now the semifinals loom. Huddling around in a corner of the gym, Akane and Taketora address their players.

 

“Alright guys, you’ve been doing well so far”, Akane compliments them, adding as an aside, “apart from minor mistakes.”

Taketora chimes in with a warning. “But Fukurodani’s not a team you want to underestimate”, he says, “especially Junichi.”

In the midst of checking his phone, Junichi snaps to attention as Akane calls his name.

“I know you’re under a lot of pressure”, she tells him, and some of the other boys begin to mutter about him being Nekoma’s first ever ace blocker. She ignores them, continuing, “But be careful, don’t let your performance slip.”

Junichi grins sheepishly, acknowledging their compliments and advice.

After a few more pointers from Taketora, the Yamamotos dismiss their players. Just as Junichi’s about to walk back onto the court, Akane tells him “Chill out, you’ve got this”, the same words from Alisa echoing in her head. Again, Akane notices, his gaze lingers on her for a moment too long, cheeks flushed slightly red, until at last he mutters a hasty ‘thanks’ and strides away to do battle.

“I wonder what that’s all about…”, she mutters to herself later, perhaps a little too loudly, as she ponders Junichi’s odd behavior. Alisa looks at her curiously, but Akane dismisses her concern, claiming she’s just talking to herself, eliciting a chuckle from Alisa.

_Probably just stressed, like the rest of us._

\--

That worry isn’t unfounded, as she soon discovers.

From the moment they step onto the court, Nekoma’s players are assaulted relentlessly, first by Fukurodani’s intimidating aura, then by their relentless attacks, each ball coming at Nekoma from unpredictable angles. The team runs themselves ragged trying to defend and retaliate, but even then only manage to barely keep up with Fukurodani, lagging behind by two points the entire way.

At last, the first set ends with a dunk shot, Fukurodani’s wing spiker Haruki soaring like their owl namesake as he delivers the killing blow.

The crowd cheers.

On her players’ faces, Akane can see the physical and mental exhaustion after just one set.  She cheers them on anyway just like old times, with a roaring flame in her chest, that only intensifies when Alisa touches her hand.

Akane’s heart feels fit to burst, but she holds it in, watching as the second set begins.

It starts off much the same way as Set 1, with them being overwhelmed, but _a cornered man fights hardest_.

 _Sun Tzu_ , Akane recalls from her History class.  Reorganizing their formation around Junichi’s blocks after a quick timeout, they slowly begin to gain ground, focusing on defensive plays and building a lead Fukurodani down little by little.

Junichi’s blocking isn’t perfect, she notes, and he misses a few balls here and there, but it’s solid enough to maintain their momentum, allowing them to clinch a 25-23 win.

That was close.

“Gonna buy a drink. Want one?”, Alisa offers, gesturing to Akane’s empty water bottle. Akane mouths _yes please_ , her eyes still glued to the notebook.

 

“Ah. Alisa”, Akane calls out as Alisa’s rising from the bench. Alisa stops.

“What’s the matter?”

Digging in her wallet, Akane pulls out a 100-yen coin. She holds it out, but Alisa just shakes her head, pushing Akane’s hand away.

“No need, it’s on me”, Alisa tells her, smiling.  “You just focus on helping them win, okay?”

\--

As the 3rd set begins, Akane can see that both sides are exhausted -Nekoma all the more so- and eager to get it over with.

For a moment, Junichi peers back at her uncertainly.

She grins and gives him a thumbs up, shouting “Fight on, Nekoma!”, which seems to energize them somewhat. The opposing coach does the same for the owls, but he doesn’t really need to, seeing how Fukurodani’s already fired up.

 

Nekoma’s captain Yamashiro opens up the floor with a powerful serve, smashing the ball high into the air past Fukurodani’s blockers to score their first point. Taking over the momentum, Nekoma takes the advantage to foil the next two serves from Fukurodani, with Junichi blocking them out alongside Yoshihiro and Harunobu, the three blockers forming a steel wall.

Of course, it doesn’t last, and Fukurodani soon regains control. Their captain in particular (Natsuki Tadaguchi, 3rd year) leads the charge, chipping away at Nekoma’s wall. By the time the score is at 17-17, Akane can see Junichi’s stamina is low, something she notes needs to be worked on further. His raised arms waver as he blocks one ball after another, passing them to a clearly overworked libero and the wing spikers.

Neither side wants to give up this set, of course, and each ball sent out gets returned, in a series of long rallies.

But at last, Fukurodani finds an opening after one of Yamashiro’s serves goes off-course. The Owls’ libero intercepts the ball, getting it into the air for Haruki to dunk again. But Haruki messes up, sending the ball hurtling high up at a crazy angle.

 

Immediately, their players ready themselves to receive it, and Akane feels as if her heart could stop in that tense moment.

 

The ball soars, then falls towards them.

Junichi leaps, reaching for the ball.

At the same time, Yoshihiro reaches for it too, his right arm outstretched.

Junichi, focused on the ball’s trajectory, fails to notice Yoshihiro, and they collide, knocking Junichi to the ground. The ball is fortunately saved by Aoyama, but there’s no time for celebration, as the players crowd round Junichi, Yoshihiro included

 

Akane shares a quick glance with Taketora, and they both rush over.

“Junichi!”, she cries out, pushing the boys aside to move in closer. Junichi’s lying on the floor, seemingly unconscious. Yoshihiro looks horrified at the sight of Junichi lying there, but he quickly calms down once Akane talks him out of it.

As Akane approaches, Junichi opens his eyes slowly.

“Sorry, Akane-chan”, he says regretfully.

“No, it’s my fault, I pushed you too much.”

Noticing he landed on his right arm, Akane gingerly probes it for any sign of injury, making Junichi groan in discomfort.

\--

“He didn’t break anything, fortunately”, Akane tells Taketora as he walks over with a first-aid kit. Reluctantly, she adds, “But it’s a bad sprain, we’ll have to bench him, for this set at least.”

Junichi clutches his sprained arm with the other. He grimaces, protesting Akane’s decision.

“I can still play.”

“No. Go rest”, Taketora tells him sternly. Hearing this, Junichi turns to Akane, pleading with her instead.

“Please? I’m the best blocker we’ve got. You said it yourself. I can play with one hand”, he reasons, giving excuse after excuse, but Akane won’t budge, even as she winds the compression wrap round his wrist and palm.

“Rest, Junichi. With your hand like that, you won’t be of much use.”

Akane ties the bandage a bit tighter, and he winces, hanging his head in defeat.  

\--

The game resumes shortly after, with the 2nd year Fuutarou subbing for Junichi, but Akane knows she’s lying to herself about their prospects.

She can keenly see the gaps in their defense, and each missed block drives another stake into her heart. They’re still holding on, admirably, but like a missing gear, Junichi’s absence weakens the machine’s smooth operation. Eventually, the other players start crumbling as well, their stamina giving out.

Fukurodani doesn’t let up, and after a long rally with Nekoma clinging on desperately, the Owls seal their victory.

\--

As the players on both sides leave the court, Akane unclenches her fist, realizing she was crumpling the pages of her notebook. She smoothens the pages out, staring down at those worthless notes for an eternity, until Alisa’s voice snaps her out of her trance.

Akane looks up to see Alisa holding two cans of soft drinks, smiling as she peers down. A pang of annoyance creeps into Akane’s voice.

“Oh, you’re pretty early.”

 “Sorry, I was in a long call”, comes the singsong reply from Alisa. “Lev was telling me about the house and-”

Ignoring Alisa’s prattling, Akane cradles her head in her hands, wishing the world could stop spinning for a moment. She feels the softness of Alisa’s hand on her back, and hears the heavy, dragging footsteps of her players as they approach.

Then something snaps inside her.

Akane breathes in deeply, ignoring Alisa’s concerned tone of voice. She sets her notebook aside, then stands up. Before Taketora can open his mouth to protest, Akane takes off running for the door.

 

She’s just made it past the gate when Alisa catches up, laying a hand on Akane’s shoulder as the shorter girl hunches over with her hands on her knees, gasping for breath.

 “Little tiger”, Alisa calls out softly. “Calm down.”

“Sorry, Alisa. I’m not feeling very well”, Akane mutters, the lie spilling as easily as water from her lips. She turns to stare into the distance, not wanting to look Alisa in the eye.

“Oh. I can fetch you home, if you want.”

Gazing out across the street, Akane grits her teeth. “I’ll be fine”, she lies again, still refusing to face Alisa. “Just wanna get some fresh air.”

“You sure?”, Alisa persists, but Akane ignores her, stepping out onto the main street towards the train station, narrowly avoiding a passing car.

Suddenly, there is the quick patter of footsteps, and Akane feels Alisa’s arms wrap around her from behind. The scent of leather mingles with Alisa’s perfume, like needles jammed into Akane’s head. Frowning, Akane pushes Alisa away.

“Just leave me alone, Alisa”, she growls. Alisa begins to speak, but Akane cuts her off.  “You don’t get it, Alisa. Stop making things worse.”

 “But I’m just trying to help”, Alisa tells her, almost pleading.

 

Akane whirls around to face Alisa, the throbbing in her head intensifying.  “I don’t need you”, she spits venomously.

 “Oh”, is all Alisa can say, biting her quivering lip, looking as if she’s about to cry. But burning with anger, Akane doesn’t let up, and what she says next is something she’ll come to regret later.

“Just get out of my life. Maybe you should have stayed in Russia, after all.”

After a long silence, Alisa replies softly, “I guess you’re right”, then turns on her heel.

Akane watches as Alisa walks away down the road, unable to say anything.  “Take care, Akane”, she turns back to call out, before disappearing round a corner into the dusk.

 

For a long while, Akane stands there beneath a darkening sky replaying their conversation, then starts off for home.

 

The streetlights are a blur, swimming through tears as she walks, Alisa’s expression burned into her memory. On to the train station and down roads and alleys she walks, fighting the urge to scream out loud and break down, holding back her sobs.

Somewhere beyond the refuge of the street lamps, a lone dog barks.

 

By the time Akane reaches her front door, she feels as if she was the one running about the court. Wearily, Akane steps into the darkened house, flipping the light switch as she trudges straight for her bedroom.

 

There, she flops onto the bed and pulls her phone out.

**_No new messages._ **

Her finger hovers over Alisa’s name on the contacts list, before Akane snaps the phone lid shut, tossing it aside.

 

Burying her face in a pillow, Akane screams.


	5. Two Days

It’s Tuesday morning in the Yamamoto household, and Akane’s standing in front of her bathroom mirror, struggling to fix a stubborn lock of hair that’s sticking out like the Tokyo Tower.

Wetting her fingers under the tap, she reaches up and smooths the stray lock down. _Come on, hair. Don’t betray me now…_

Akane groans in frustration as it pops right back up.

Rinse and repeat.

After her tenth failed attempt, she throws her hands in the air and gives up, wondering if those eyebags and messy strands of hair are her lot in life. _Too bad I can’t ask Alisa_ , Akane muses bitterly, throwing on her school uniform before heading out, still fumbling with the uniform’s buttons as she stumbles downstairs.

 

As Akane reaches the bottom, she stops.

 

A pleasant aroma wafts through the air. Sniffing, she follows its trail to the kitchen, where Akane peeks in to see Taketora frying up a large fish on the stove.

“Oh. Good morning”, Akane chirps as she walks in, taking a moment to bask in the glorious smell of fried fish, sizzling and crackling like fireworks.  “You don’t usually cook.” Taketora mutters something about having a day off.

“Need any help?”, she asks.

“Nah, save your energy for the exams”, he replies gruffly, making _shoo-_ ing gestures. But Akane doesn’t scurry off to the dining table. Instead, wide-eyed, she stands there staring at him flipping the fish with a sptaula.

“What?”, he asks after a while, noticing her appraising him. Giggling, Akane replies, “Give me back my big brother, you alien. You’re too nice.”

Taketora growls and reaches for the spatula, but she runs away laughing before he can fling it at her.

 

Safely arriving at the dining table away from the reach of any flying utensils, Akane grins in satisfaction, though that uplifted mood doesn’t last long, and she soon begins ruminating again. In a moment of idleness, Akane slumps back in the chair and pulls out her phone, scrolling through its array of Inbox messages from the past few days.

 

**vid of American girls team libero saving ball. SO COOL! – Junichi, Volleyball group chat, Yesterday**

_Wow. They’re really pretty, and fit_ , she finds herself thinking, spending a moment too long staring at the team captain’s imposing figure, before she reluctantly scrolls down.

**hey, wil b late picking u up 2day – tora-nii, yesterday**

**Don’t forget our biweekly visitation w/Uncle Fujiwara – Mummy, 4 days ago**

Suddenly, as she’s hovering somewhere between ‘5 days’ and ‘2 week ago’, hesitant to go any further back, her phone vibrates. Akane’s breath catches.

 

**One new message.**

**Sender: Keiko Hanazono**

_Oh._

Somewhat disappointed that it isn’t Alisa, Akane exhales loudly and opens the message.

 

 **[Akane-chwannn, helppp!!! Monster Ken’s gonna eat meeeeee** ＼(º □ º l|l)/ ===3   ∋━━o (▼皿▼ o)]

Seeing her classmate Keiko’s overly dramatic rendition of their Maths teacher, she can’t help but crack a smile, as she taps out a reply.

**Is that Mr Keniichi??**

**[Yup.]**

**Why does he have a pitchfork?!**

**[Cuz he’s scary. I’m nervous abt the exam** ( ╥ω╥ ) **]**

 **Don’t worry, Kei-chan. We’ll die together.** _:(´ཀ`」 ∠):_

**[Promise ok?]**

**Promise.**

**[Www ok gotta run now, c u at school.]**

“Exams, huh?”, Akane exclaims to no one in particular, setting the phone down. She stares up at the cobwebbed ceiling, mentally counting off her list of tasks: Drawing the club poster, and studying for exams, and resuming volleyball training the following week…

“You alright?” Taketora asks, noticing her glum expression as he walks out from the kitchen holding a tray with fried mackerel, two rice bowls, and miso soup.

Akane puts on a false smile, assuring him that everything’s fine, she’s just stressed. Tora’s not the most astute at reading emotions, so she breathes easier when he shrugs and doesn’t question her excuse. Or maybe he realizes but doesn’t want to pressure her. Either way, Akane escapes scrutiny.

“Okay”, he grunts, setting the dishes down. They begin eating in silence, across from each other, tearing at the mackerel’s fleshy body piece by piece.

 

“You haven’t been hanging out with Lev’s sister lately huh?”, Taketora suddenly asks, mouth half-full as he chews on a particularly large piece. Akane flinches, feeling as if a dagger just went through her heart.

 _“Take care, Akane”,_ Alisa’s words echo in her head. Akane wishes she could take back those hurtful things she did, but _it’s a bit too late now_. So she restrains herself, and locks that pain away, spinning a small white lie.

 

“Nah, she’s been busy.  So have I”, she replies, sipping her soup.

 

 “You’re always busy. Sometimes I feel like you’re the coach, not me.” Taketora jabs his chopsticks in her direction. Smirking, Akane nudges them away with her own pair.

“What, you’re hiring me as the replacement? Getting too old?”, she teases him, stroking an invisible beard and making him glare at her.

“Hell no”, he growls, prompting the start of another play-fight, the siblings alternating between bickering and eating their food, until at last only fish bones and a few stray rice grains remain.

Akane moves to take her plates to the kitchen, despite Taketora’s protests, then heads straight out for the front door, grabbing her bag and shoes along the way.  

 

“Hey”, Taketora calls out to Akane as she’s putting on her shoes. She looks back at him.

“What??”

“Good luck.”

“I’ll try my best”, Akane replies, her smile wavering slightly.

\--

The first thing Akane sees when arriving outside class is a hallway full of students, lingering while waiting for their teacher to show up. Some are intently burying their faces in textbooks; others seem more confident -or have given up entirely, she muses- and are standing or sitting around chatting.

As Akane steps forward, a loud voice calls out, “Akane Yamamoto!” Akane looks to see a plump girl waving to her.

“Hi Keiko”, she replies, walking up to Keiko and high-fiving her friend. “You ready?”, Akane asks.

“No. We’re doomed”, Keiko wheedles, looking glum. Akane groans in agreement. “Ugh, don’t remind me. Did you do any revision?”

 “I did, though only half of that’s in here now”, Keiko says, tapping her forehead. She reaches into her bag and pulls out a dog-eared Maths textbook, flipping through the pages till she finds one somewhere in the middle.

“Here. Was trying to solve this, maybe you’ll do better”, she says, shoving the book in Akane’s face. The equations on the page are a jumble of numbers, and the longer Akane stares, the more her head spins. Nevertheless, she resolves to try it.

“Let’s see…”, Akane mutters softly, tracing ghostly numbers in the air with her finger as she racks her brain. “So, if you multiply this number, plug it into Z, and substitute X with the cosine of A which is 3.99…”

Like a lightbulb, the answer flashes in her mind. “20.7!”, she cries out triumphantly, happy to have finally gotten it right. Then Keiko flips the page, and as they check the answers together, Akane realizes just how far off the mark she was.

“How did- I thought it was- UGH!”, she sputters, growing increasingly annoyed as she reads the demonstrated workings. “We’re screwed”, she whines, hanging her head in shame at last.

 

“It’s okay, I had the same reaction. Kanata’s even worse at Maths than us, at least”, Keiko remarks a little too loudly, pointing to two girls leaning against the far wall. Having heard the entire thing, Kanata retorts in her Kansai dialect, “At least I’m good at History! I’ve been helping my little bro with his exams ya know.”

“So, what, you wanna become a teacher?”, the other girl, Suzu, interjects.

“Maybe…”, Kanata says with a hint of uncertainty in her voice. Suzu pulls an unwrapped candy bar out of her pocket, chewing on it before replying.

“Cool. Just don’t end up like Mrs Ayaka”, she says. Kanata grimaces, miming puking motions. “No way.”

The four of them laugh, drawing a few dirty looks from their more studious classmates.

 

“Or…I could become a volleyball manager, or coach”, Kanata adds after they’ve calmed down, gesturing to Akane. “Though that’s more suited for her, I suppose.”

Akane’s cheeks flower light red, and she half-heartedly denies their praise, insisting she isn’t THAT great, still reminded of the recent humiliating defeat. Eventually, after much denial from Akane, the three girls lose interest in that line of conversation, moving on to other topics and leaving Akane free to overthink, again.

Seeking a distraction, she grabs her Maths textbook and tries revising. When that fails too, Akane sighs in frustration and looks around, wondering if her teacher’s showing up soon.

 

Instead, a group of boys from 2-C comes rushing up the stairs, Junichi amongst them.

_I haven’t seen him since exam season started._

Murmurs of discontent echo from her classmates as the 2-C group tries to move past to their own classroom down the hall, accidentally stepping on feet and hands while they pass through.

All the while, Junichi is profusely apologizing, despite being one of the most cautious ones.

 

“Hey, Junichi.” Akane takes the opportunity to greet him as he walks past. What happens next puzzles her, as he turns, notices her, and seemingly hurries by even faster, his ears turning red.

_What’s wrong with him?_

_Junichi isn’t normally rude_ , she reasons, concluding that he’s probably still feeling bad, like her. Akane shrugs and returns what little attention she has to the textbook, reminding herself to give him a pep talk whenever possible.

Shortly after, Mr Keniichi arrives and orders them into class.

\--

After what seems like an eternity of staring at numbers, the Maths exam ends, but Akane barely has time to unwind before the next one, Japanese Literature, begins in half an hour. After that comes Biology. By the end of the school day, Akane’s head has become a battleground between Murasaki Shikibu, a crusty old Maths professor, and Gregor Mendel, each jostling for territory on the ridges of her brain.

 

Seated in the mostly empty classroom after school, she hunches over her wooden desk, furiously sketching on a sheet of paper, trying to blot out the lingering gunfire and explosions.

“What’s this for?”, Keiko asks, sitting next to her and observing as Akane shades the underside of a volleyball held aloft by a faceless player. “The volleyball club?”

Akane nods. “Yeah, gotta finish the poster ASAP. We need to raise funds.”

“I thought the school’s supporting you guys.”

“Not really. I mean, our costs are usually pretty low, and the school pays for them…” _As long as we produce results,_ those words die unspoken on Akane’s lips. _But the team hasn’t been at the top for years now, ever since Tora and his batch left school,_ she thinks, carefully drawing the player’s eyes.

“Hmm. You’re working pretty hard”, Keiko muses, shifting her chair slightly to get a better angle of viewing. Akane makes a rather sour face, remembering Alisa telling her the same thing, but Keiko doesn’t question it.

 

 Along the hall outside their class, voices of various students and teachers drift by, and Akane recognizes two of those voices as Kanata and Suzu. They’re talking aloud, discussing everything from anime to games to schoolwork to boys. Snippets of conversation reach her ears:

_Did you check out that new anime? It’s quite-_

_Look what Hinami posted-_

_Man, I really wanna play that game, but my budget-_

_Oh my god, she’s dating HIM??? I’m jealous!_

_Come on, Emi obviously isn’t a virgin._

_Ugh, there’s so much to read up for-_

_Cheer up. I’ve got coupons for this great karaoke place._

_Ooh, we should go._

_Let’s invite Akane and Keiko._

 

Their footsteps stop outside the class. “Akane”, two voices call in unison. She looks up, halfway through drawing a smile on the volleyball player, to see Suzu and Kanata standing in the doorway.

“What’s up?”, Akane asks, twirling her pencil.

Suzu grins excitedly as she skips over and pulls a few small sheets of paper from her shirt pocket, waving them in front of Akane. “Check it out, my brother managed to get us passes for UtaHana.”

“UtaHana?”, Akane asks, the name not quite ringing a bell.

“That new karaoke place downtown”, Keiko explains.

“Oh! Right, yeah, sorry”, Akane mutters, now recalling the long queues and neon signs. “Big bro’s driven past it a few times.”

“Wanna join us?”, Suzu offers, holding the tickets out. Kanata nods vigorously in agreement, half-jokingly pleading with Akane as she grabs her hand, “Come on, let’s go wipe away our bad memories of the exams.” Akane sighs. She glances from their eager faces to the half-drawn poster, then back to them.

“Sorry, I really, really wanna check it out, but-”

Keiko interrupts, finishing Akane’s sentence. “You have to finish the fundraising poster.”

Akane nods.

“Too bad. I mean, Horiguchi from Class C’s going”, Kanata quips, a dreamy look coming over her.

Keiko’s mouth hangs agape. “Wow, you invited him??”

“But…isn’t he still dating Emma Natsumi?”, Suzu asks, putting a finger to her lips to shush them, as if the dreaded Student Council Secretary were nearby.

Keiko shakes her head, grimacing. “She dumped him.”

“Ouch. Big mistake”, Kanata mouths, though she seems a _little_ too happy about it. Akane just smiles at their conversation, apologizing as she tells them, “Don’t worry about me, just enjoy yourselves. Maybe I’ll join next time.”

“You sure?”, Keiko asks again, adding, “It’s not just Horiguchi, there’ll be other guys too”, emphasizing the words **other guys.**

“Yup, I’m sure”, Akane replies, with finality in her voice. Keiko’s face falls a little, but she just laughs it off and tells Akane it’s fine, and that they’ll drag her along next time.

But Suzu isn’t done with the interrogation. She reaches for an empty chair, pulling it up beside Akane. “By the way…”, Suzu begins to say, latching on to Akane’s apparent disinterest with a curious gleam in her eye, “You’re not that interested in boys huh?”

 

The other girls, attention focused on packing their bags, freeze upon hearing her question, turning to stare at the duo curiously. Akane dismisses Suzu’s question with a quick, “Not really”, trying to shrug off her attention. Unsatisfied with that answer, Suzu insensitively continues pressing her. “At our age? Really?”

Kanata frowns. “There must be some guy you like, at least! Or liked” she exclaims, walking over to where Suzu is and draping her arm across Akane’s shoulder.

“Hey, leave the poor girl alone”, Keiko admonishes them, but they don’t heed her words.

“It’s alright, Kei”, Akane calls out. She gazes down at her skirt, wringing its hem. “I mean, I’m not a prude, but it’s just…” Without warning, Alisa’s face flashes across her mind. Forced to confront a side of her she never paid attention to, for a moment Akane struggles to find the right phrase, coating the truth in a layer of lies. “It’s…guess I just haven’t given it much thought.”

Her ears burning red, Akane turns away from Suzu and continues drawing the volleyball player. She tries tracing the player’s straight rows of teeth, which instead become jagged and misshapen.

“Maybe you prefer girls. I won’t judge. Promise”, Suzu adds with a wink, assuring Akane “There’s nothing wrong with that, really.”

“What about that foreign girl?”, Kanata asks. “She’s pretty hot.”

“No idea who you’re talking about”, Akane half-heartedly mumbles, refusing to look them in the eye, but she knows they’re not fooled at all. Like a key turning in the lock, something _clicks_ inside Akane’s mind and a door swings wide open. Beyond lies darkness.

She opens her mouth to protest, but the words won’t come out, even as a million thoughts flood her brain.

“I-I don’t…”

 

Keiko gasps indignantly. With a clatter, her chair falls to the ground as she leaps up and marches over to the girls. Reaching out, Keiko pushes them apart.

“Come on! If she doesn’t wanna talk about it, just-”

The sound of heavy footsteps outside the classroom interrupts their quarrel, all four girls turning to see Mrs Noriko, their homeroom teacher.

“I’m sorry, am I interrupting something?”, she asks, stroking her very pregnant belly with one hand while the other holds a folder bursting with documents.

“No, not really, _sensei_ ”, Suzu replies quickly. Mrs Noriko nods, acknowledging the four girls, then smiles and gestures to Suzu.

“I’ll need some help carrying boxes”, she tells her.

“Um, but-”, Suzu begins to protest.

“It’s just a box or two”, their teacher replies sternly. She looks over at Kanata and Keiko, gesturing ‘ _come’_ to them as well.

In resignation, Kanata and Suzu sigh and head over to where Mrs Noriko is, trailing behind as she waddles back to the staff office. Keiko, though, lingers for a moment longer while their friends disappear past the doorway.

 

“Hey, um, sorry about that. Suzu was-”, Keiko starts, correcting herself. “Sorry, Suzu and Kanata. They’re not trying to be mean, don’t let it get to you.”

“I know. I’m not angry”, Akane says, setting the poster and stationery aside with hands that are still quivering slightly. “I just need time”, she lies, smiling and telling Keiko to get going before Mrs Noriko gets angry.

“Even if you’re a…you know,”, Keiko replies, avoiding the ‘L’ word, “there’s really nothing wrong with that.”

Akane hesitates for a moment before replying. “What, you mean a lesbian?”

“I wasn’t gonna say it straight up, but yeah.”

“It’s fine, Keiko. It’s just something I’ve to figure out.”  Akane laughs hollowly. “Now, go. You don’t want to piss a pregnant woman off, right?”, she says, shooing Keiko away.

As she departs, Akane turns her attention back to the poster. She moves to pick up her pencil, but upon inspection, realizes the lead has snapped from pressing it too hard on the paper.

\--

Those doubts still linger, keeping Akane awake as she’s lying in the darkness of her room that night.

 

 _What am I, really?_ she asks herself. _Daughter of the Yamamoto family_ ; _little sister to Gorilla Taketora_ ; _volleyball team manager_ ; _what else?_

 

There’s also the unspoken truth, a sword hanging over her head, all her conflicting feelings bundled into one conveniently labeled package: _Lesbian, in love with Alisa Haiba. Warning, Fragile._

_“Aren’t you interested in boys?”_

Truth be told, Akane realizes, her excuse of being a volleyball nerd unaware of her sexuality is just that – an excuse. Now, of all times, she finds herself recalling the toned physiques of those American players, and the way Alisa’s body felt against hers.

Still, Akane denies the stirrings in her heart. _Maybe it’s a fluke. Maybe I just don’t understand love. Maybe I’m confused._

The alternative -an unknown wilderness beyond the garden wall- is too terrifying for Akane to comprehend.

 

Sighing aloud, she grips her pillow tightly, closing her eyes and flopping about the bed like a dying fish. Sleep, when it does come, is accompanied by odd dreams.

Her desire is a library and Akane wanders its dream-aisles, pulling memories from the shelves like books, opening each in turn – a conversation at sunset; a warm hug; the curves of Alisa’s slim body underneath her dress; eyes deep green like the sea.

With each book she browses, a warm tingle spreads through her body, making her shiver in delight. It’s a bomb exploding in her belly, sending shockwaves coursing through Akane.

She is swept away on a tidal wave, dreaming of Alisa holding her close, and-

 

“What the hell?”, Akane mutters, as she’s abruptly tossed back out into the waking world.  Thin rays of light peek in through her window, spreading their warmth, and Akane simultaneously becomes aware of the damp stickiness in her shorts, a pleasant ache radiating from her lower abdomen as she reaches down to probe it, her fingertips tingling.

If she had her way, she’d stay in bed forever, lost in that bliss.

In that state of euphoria, she lingers, until Taketora’s voice yells at her to **hurry up, idiot, you’re gonna be late.**

Akane yawns, rubs her eyes, and stretches, stumbling over to the bathroom to get ready for school, with a million more doubts jostling for space.

\--

By 1:00pm, after a morning of 2-B being drilled endlessly on the Jomon period and English grammar rules, Akane has mostly managed to shove the previous night’s event into a corner, ignoring the images seared into her mind.

 

As the clock rolls over into their lunch period, just before the students can rush out, Mr Keniichi swaggers into the classroom, carrying a bundle of test results in his hand. Cheers and grumbling can be heard as their class monitor hands out the test sheets, and one boy in the back nearly faints.

“What’d you get?”, Keiko whispers, leaning over from her desk next to Akane to peek at her friend’s paper. Akane grumbles, showing Keiko the numerous red scribbles and X marks on it. The score at the top reads 48/100. Marginally better than Akane’s usual, Keiko replies, but it’s still a failing grade, which causes Akane to screw up her face in disgust.

“I really hate maths”, she mutters, perhaps a little too loudly as Mr Keniichi steps out of the class, having delivered his grim proclamations. If he heard her though, he gives no indication of it.

“Well, you’re gonna need it for most jobs”, Keiko points out.

“Yeah, I guess.” Akane slumps forward onto her desk, half-burying her face in the wooden surface and mumbling something about avoiding maths-based courses in university.

“Wanna go get lunch?”, Keiko asks after a while, with sympathy in her voice, as the other students begin to leave.

“Nah, I’m not really in the mood for queueing.”

“It’s okay, I’ll buy you something. They have the _soboro gohan_ box today.”

At the mention of her favourite dish, Akane perks up a little. “Okay.” She lifts her head to tell Keiko, “I’ll pay you later” as the tall girl nods and departs on a quest to brave the lunch crowd.

 

As soon as Keiko’s gone, with the classroom half-abandoned, those unwanted, confusing thoughts begin to emerge again. Hoping to gain a measure of peace, Akane reaches for a distraction: the half-completed volleyball club poster rolled up in her bag, its mascot glaring at her with misshapen eyes.

She quickly gets to work on it, correcting the player’s messed up teeth and eyes first, before moving on to filling in the poster’s lettering.

As Akane’s filling in the ‘U’ in ‘Needs You’, a familiar voice calls her name from outside the class.

“Hey!”, she greets Junichi cheerily, gesturing for him to come in, glad to have yet another distraction. He refuses, though, standing outside the door like a guard or mannequin.

Puzzled, Akane sets her pencil aside and walks over instead.

 

“How’ve you been?”, she asks, leaning against the wall next to him. “I haven’t seen you much, now that practice is on hold.” Junichi winces, replying “Exams are killing me.”

“Same here dude. I failed Maths. Again”, Akane whines.

As if flipping a switch, he makes a strange expression, hesitantly replying. “Oh. Um…maybe I could- Maybe I could tutor you?”, he stutters. “I’m pretty good at Maths.”

“Hey! That’d be great!”, Akane exclaims, grabbing Junichi’s hand. He flinches and blushes lightly. “Mind helping my friend Keiko as well?”, she asks.

“Uh, sure.” Junichi pulls his hand back, and Akane suddenly notices she’s been holding his injured hand all along.

“Oh, shit. I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize-”, she begins to say, but he cuts her off. Smiling, Junichi flexes his arm and stretches it out, wiggling his fingers to demonstrate. “It’s fine, Akane-san. My hand is mostly healed already.”

“Still, I should be more careful.”

“Nah, don’t blame yourself”, he replies. “I’ll be fine by the next qualifier.”

Akane barely has time to voice her worry about the upcoming qualifier, before a panicked look comes over Junichi and he shoots her a quick, “Oops, forgot I had to buy lunch for Hiroomi”, taking off running for the canteen. “I’ll see you after school!”, he shouts back.

\--

“You’re supposed to multiply this first. Otherwise the order gets all messed up”, Junichi explains, pointing to a set of numbers at the top of the page, as Keiko and Akane stare in awe of his Maths skills.

The trio are clustered round a single desk in 2-B’s classroom after school. Like a teacher, Junichi systematically goes over each of their issues, providing tips and guidelines as they practice solving problems, and feedback for when the girls inevitably mess up.

 _He’s a good teacher,_ Akane muses, far better than Mr Keniichi at least, who’s a bit too egoistic to comprehend that students may not be as smart as him. Having completed a subsection in the Trigonometry chapter, Junichi quickly flips the page to move them on. As he does, a sheet of paper flies out and falls to the floor.

Akane bends down, reaching for it, but before she can pick it up, Junichi snatches the paper away, looking slightly flustered.

 _I wonder what that was about_. The paper had a heart drawn on it, she notices. Shrugging, she turns her attention back to the lesson. By the time Keiko has to leave, they’ve made good progress and identified their major weaknesses.

 

“Hey, Manager-san. How’s it going for you?”, Junichi asks, as they’re packing their bags. The evening sun illuminates an empty classroom, with only the two of them left behind.

“I told you, call me Akane”, she demands.

“I know, just messing with you”, he replies cheekily. Slotting his textbook into the bag, Junichi looks her in the eye and continues, “But really. You seem a bit down today. Apart from the whole exam thing, I mean.”

“Wow, you’re observant.”

“I’m a blocker.”

Akane raises her eyebrows incredulously. “What does that have to do with anything??”

“I mean, reading a block and reading the situation is kinda similar, right?”, Junichi says, making Akane laugh at his statement.

“Well, you’re not wrong. In a way”, she admits, “Except there’s no stray balls flying at you now.”

“So…stress?”, he asks, probing at Akane’s psyche.

 

“Yeah. Worrying about all kinds of things”, Akane says, adjusting a lock of her stray, curly hair.  “Exams, the club, love, blah blah.” Junichi suddenly gets that strange look on his face again, the same one he had earlier when asking her about tutoring. “Eh? What’s wrong?”, she asks.

“Oh. Nothing, just thinking about stuff”, Junichi quickly replies.

“Wanna tell me about it?”, she continues to probe.

“I’m still feeling bad about the whole loss, to be honest.” Junichi props his arms on the desk, resting his head on them.  “Like I’m not a good enough player”, he admits, with bitterness in his voice. “Well, nobody’s perfect, so stop saying that”, she huffs, jabbing a finger at his chest. “It’s my fault.”

“Okay, okay, we’re both to blame”, Junichi concedes, smiling in amusement at Akane’s insistence. After a brief pause, he adds, “I’ve been meaning to tell you something.”

Her mind races. _Oh shit. Is he stepping down from the club?_

 

Placing both hands on Akane’s shoulders, he continues.  “Look, um…I think I like you”, Junichi says.

Akane’s eyes grow wide.

“Wh- What??”, Akane yells, wincing as she accidentally bites her tongue. “You’re kidding…right?”

Junichi shakes his head. “Nope, I’m serious. Please go out with me, Akane-san.”

“Oh”, she says, her head spinning from more than just the Maths questions.

_Oh shit._


End file.
